Vanquish
by thejuvenile
Summary: A pokemon master. A dream so deeply rooted he could no longer pinpoint its origin nor question its legitimacy. Ash wasn't dumb. He knew the journey would be painful at best. But more than anything he was a prideful being fueled by his desires. He longed for nothing more than to stand at the top and as he stared into standoffish ruby eyes, he knew, this pokemon was the same.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone, welcome to my story which is in fact under the same name. When I had first started Vanquish I was admittedly just going with the flow not knowing where I wanted to take it. Now, I at least have some general idea on where I am going to take this story. I changed A LOT of things about this story and did as much grammar checking as I could. So, if you find any mistakes please Pm me so that I can edit this chapter later. Enjoy the story and please be sure to review!

VVvv

 _Breathe Ash._

He took a deep breath and when he realized his heart was still practically leaping out of his chest he took another. Ash Ketchum stood in front of Professor Oak's lab with a tight frown. He was thirty minutes early, but who wouldn't be for the most important day of their life? As many times as he's been here he couldn't find it in himself to go inside.

He begrudgingly admitted to himself that he was in fact, nervous.

Could you blame him though? He was just ten years old, and yet the next few hours would determine just what kind of path he would take in life.

So while he tried to calm himself down he weighed his options over as he's done billions of times before. In just thirty minutes he would be making a decision that would affect him for years to come and impact his journey heavily.

He would be choosing his starter.

His partner.

His best friend (he hoped).

His very first pokemon.

You could only go through a moment like this once and he was determined not to screw it up, though he wasn't exactly on the right track since he still hadn't made up his mind.

It was the morning he would finally start his journey and yet he still had no clue who he would choose as his starter. Seeing as he really only had two options it shouldn't be so difficult but it only seemed to make his decision that much harder.

Charmander or bulbasaur?

Bulbasaur are the rarest of the three starters. Not only are they endangered but it's one of the only grass types in all of Kanto that interested Ash. There were tangela, that were also rare, but a lot of that factored into how difficult the peculiar creatures were to find. To put it simply, no other grass type in Kanto could compare to bulbasaur in his opinion.

So that meant that if he wanted a bulbasaur, it was now or never.

And he surely wanted a bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur would grow into the strong, sturdy, powerhouse known as venusaur. Which were capable of taking hit after hit and dishing out even more powerful blows. In all of the books he's read he's heard nothing but praise for the green saurian. The species is summarized as typically loyal pokemon with a good temperament, perfect for new trainers.

That was something important to Ash. If he had to start off his journey with a misbehaved pokemon that would certainly hold him back.

Then there was charmander.

By far charizard was the coolest fire type he had ever read up on. Just saying the name of the fire breathing lizard brought chills to him. They were so strong and there was only a hand full of other fire types that could match their power and finesse.

Though they came with a price.

They throw temper tantrums. They are often disobedient and hard to get a handle on. Gaining the loyalty of the lizard if you didn't raise them from the start when they were a charmander was nearly impossible.

Not to say that raising a charmander was easier. Out of the three Kanto starters they were by far the hardest to raise. Charmander's breed as starters aren't categorized as aggressive with their trainers, but there are many cases where they lose their tempers and accidents ensue.

Controlling a naturally destructive fire breathing creature isn't an easy feat.

Ash sighed, thinking about it he knew what decision he needed to make. So he decided he was ready and there was no turning back now.

Once inside he was greeted by the familiar sight of assistants hustling about and smell of sterile. He closed his eyes, he was at ease again. This was practically his second home.

Eventually, one of the assistants took notice of him. It was Sandy, a middle aged woman. She made her way over to him reading off a clipboard whilst fingering her long unruly hair.

"Good morning, Ash!" She smiled wide.

"Morning, Sandy." She insisted on him calling her by her first name, made her feel younger she always said.

"Big day ne?" Her smile turned cheeky. "So, what pokemon you going to choose?"

"It's between bulbasaur and charmander but I think I know which I'll pick."

He didn't want to tell her which pokemon he was choosing just in the case things didn't work out. Though, he supposed saying things out loud did make the situation more official.

"Hah! That told me nothing. We both know you won't go picking squirtle." She gave a wink and Ash smirked in response. She knew exactly why he wouldn't pick the turtle starter, in fact, anyone who was even remotely familiar with him and his cocky best friend knew why.

A loud beeping noise instantly drew their attention. It was her watch, she glanced at it and huffed in annoyance. "Well, I'll see you around Ash, duty calls!" He watched her walk off with a wave of her hand.

He closed his mouth as he had been prepared to tell her which pokemon he was choosing. He shrugged his shoulders and began making his way to Professor's Oaks personal lab, he knew the way.

Once at the door he knocked twice out of habit and let himself in. No one around this place really knocked, the old man was kind of easy going in that aspect. With all the manners his mom had instilled in him it was a principle that never caught on with him.

He examined his surroundings, first taking notice of the professor's absence. Next, he noticed a long table with various gadgets and items on it. He motioned to move closer for a better look but then saw something. It was a round incubator with see through glass. Inside were three pokeballs. Perfectly round, top half red and bottom white. He studied each curiously; one had a fire symbol, another water, and the last leaf.

Upon hearing the door creak open he turned to see Gary come in, and he shot him a smirk. He got a sick sense of satisfaction knowing he beat him here. Gary walked straight up to him and looked him over.

"Ash," Gary said, deciding to finally acknowledge him. Gary's eyebrow shot up asking the unannounced question, "why are you here so early". Before Ash answered he took notice of the dark circles under Gary's eyes. He imagined his looked similar since they'd been up late talking.

"Psh, like you weren't thinking the same thing," he accused. "First to get here means first dibbs, right?" He watched keenly for Gary's reaction. Gary ignored him, muttering unintelligible words under his breath but he was able to make out "overslept" and "lucky".

Despite how their relationship appeared to outsiders Gary and him were best friends. Gary liked to be surrounded by people who found his know it all attitude charming while Ash was selective among who he chose to interact with. In a way Gary preferred quantity to quality and Ash was the opposite. He was more of an introvert, preferring to be alone. Though at a young age he discovered he loved the company of pokemon, couldn't get sick of it matter fact. It was the main thing Gary and him had in common after all.

Though they also shared dominant personalities. This led them to many fights and disagreements over the years. It was always hard to make up too, with them both being so damn prideful. He always feared that one day their shared passion might tear their friendship apart. After today they were rivals first and foremost before friends.

Eventually, they moved over to the chairs to sit in silence. Their patience was rewarded when they heard the professor's raspy voice down the hall. The professor walked in, white lab coat on and in all his glory. He barely spared them a glance, seemingly not surprised at all by their presence. "Gary, Ash, you're early…though you're not the only ones." He stepped to the side revealing the figure behind him.

It was Amy, a girl with short brown hair. He remembered meeting her at the qualification exam. That was months ago and now her hair was shorter. Ash wondered briefly if she'd outgrown her temper. He instantly recognized the red and white official pokemon league expo hat on her head. He eyed the hat a little longer, a shame he wasn't into them, he'd surely be jealous if he was.

The three children watched in silence as the professor proceeded to make his way to the pokeballs in the middle of the room. "Well, let's get started, shall we?" The professor took in each of their excited expressions. He couldn't help the small smile from forming on his face as he opened the incubator.

"Well, as you all know, these are the three native Kanto starters," Professor Oak said, motioning to the pokeballs. "There's the fire type; charmander, water type; squirtle, and bulbasaur the grass type. If you raise them with patience and care they will surely grow to be formidable, lifelong companions."

The professor clapped his hands suddenly. "Well, ladies first." He looked pointedly at Amy. She smiled brightly, practically running toward the pokeballs. Upon reaching them she threw a smug look over her shoulder to the boys.

She immediately picked up charmander's pokeball and awaited further instruction.

Ash had forgotten about ladies first.

Whoever gets here first means they get first dibbs when picking pokemon. That was the unofficial rules Gary and he had heard for years from older trainers. Yet, he forgot there would be a girl among them.

The whole purpose of him gaining first dibbs was to scare Gary. Ash really just wanted to make his best friend sweat a bit is all, as payback for limiting his options.

He was fine with this result though, he would get the pokemon he wanted.

He could feel Gary's gaze as he walked up next to pick. Without a second thought he flicked up bulbasaur's pokeball with a growing smile.

Everyone knew who Gary would pick, and as his best friend Ash would not take that from him. That's why he never considered squirtle when debating the three starters. Gary had known since they were toddlers that squirtle was his destined starter.

While, he was confident in his skills to make his starter great, he sent a silent prayer to any Gods listening that the pokemon in this device could match his ambitions.

"What are you waiting for? Meet your new pokemon!" The professor's voice rang in their ears.

After a few brief moments of being blinded by light he was greeted by the sight of Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur's hard red eyes quietly took in its surroundings, never stopping to land eye contact with Ash once. Sensing no threat, the saurian laid down with boredom from the circumstances.

Ash watched his starter with a debating frown, trying to think of some words to say, or something to do to gain its attention. There were many things that stuck out to him at first glance. Like Bulbasaur's attitude and large size that hinted it wasn't as young as the usual starter pokemon offered to new trainers.

Ash mulled over what he thought of that when a soft whimper of pain floated through the room.

"Keep your pokemon in check, Amy!"

"Calm down, he just wanted to play," Amy retorted.

Charmander danced and pranced around Gary's squirtle with mocking glee as the tortoise laid stuck on its back. The orange lizard presented its outreached hand, and squirtle being none the wiser accepted the help and allowed itself to be pulled up.

Charmander then spoke to squirtle in poke speech and with a sneer quickly pushed the water type to the ground. Squirtle wiggled on its back in a fruitless attempt to get upright as charmander had a field day. It pointed and snickered at the poor turtle with disturbing delight.

Gary was livid. "THERE, he did it again!" Instantly, Gary was by squirtle's side helping up the poor pokemon.

"Well, squirtle shouldn't have fallen for something so obvious." Amy's brown eyes seemed pleased at her starter's display of superiority.

"Bulba, bulbasaur."

Bulbasaur walked right up to the still laughing lizard and retracted its vines. In two swift motions he slapped charmander twice on the face. It was nothing but a blur of green, but the two resounding _smacks_ resounding through the room were undeniable. The room was quiet. Charmander took his clawed hand and cradled his face in silence.

Squirtles eyes lit up with admiration and it waddled over to Bulbasaur to express its gratitude. Bulbasaur frowned, ignored the water type, and made its way to the spot it previously lay.

That was strange. Why would Bulbasaur go out of its way to help squirtle but not accept its thanks? It was a bit unnecessarily cold with how it brushed the turtle off and now squirtle looked more confused than Ash felt.

"This year I decided to do something a little different." The professor's voice gained all of their attention away from their feuding pokemon. Ash listened intently to the professor's words. Different? Things were already different this year.

It was a known fact that regional professors only sponsor three children a year. Professor Oak caught the attention of the league and everyone in Kanto when he announced he would sponsor four this year.

Really, what were the odds that four children would be sponsored by the famous Professor Oak this year? And furthermore, all four children were ten. That was something unheard of, let alone ever happening.

Everyone knew the only way to become a league registered trainer at the minimum age of ten was if you had a highly reputable sponsor and funds. The professor in his many years of sponsoring had _never_ sent a ten year old out on a journey. The oldest he'd ever sent out being a prodigious thirteen year old boy three years ago.

Becoming a pokemon trainer was a big deal, becoming one at the age of ten even more so. You had to have have stunning scores, or connections to be sponsored, let alone by a regional professor.

Gary had brilliant test scores and was the grandson of Professor Oak. While it was annoying to admit Gary's were better than his, he wasn't too far behind. Besides, his actual battling scores had always been better, with Gary's just behind him. Plus, he's known Professor Oak since he was a toddler.

The girl, Amy, had an older brother who made it to top thirty-two in Kanto his first year, apparently doing big things since. It didn't hurt that she had good test and battle scores from what he's heard. "A bit rash, but she has a calm mind once the battle starts", the professor had mentioned about her. There was a long list of people wishing to be sponsored for a pokemon journey and the professor chose them. The league would have their eye on them this year, and companies were always looking for new talent to snatch up. Four sponsored kids, things were sure to get interesting.

The last kid, who was he anyway? Or was it a girl? The three of them have earned their right to this opportunity, so he couldn't help but wonder about the fourth kid. Speaking of the fourth, he eyed the room wondering where they could be. Professor Oak caught him looking around.

The old man checked his watch, scratched his chin and hummed in thought. "It would seem he's late, and I was sure I got through to him about the importance of being on time," he chided to himself.

"Professor, who is the other kid anyway?" Amy inquired. The professors eyes twinkled and he gave a secret smile. "You will meet him in due time I suppose."

Ash spared Gary a glance and couldn't help but wonder if he knew anything. Then he immediately dismissed the thought, Gary wouldn't keep that from him.

"Remember you should feel grateful I was able to offer each Kanto starter this year. Each of your pokemon is truly special in their own right, I look forward to seeing how you raise them." He smiled, and the children just stared. "Examine your pokemon some more," he prompted them.

To his left he watched squirtle shrink under Gary's disapproving gaze. Squirtle was fairly small, not to mention timid, characteristics that usually came with being the runt. It would have self-esteem issues. He knew Gary; his friend wouldn't like that at all, he simply didn't have the patience for it.

Gary sighed, lowered himself to eyelevel with squirtle and began to whisper things he could not hear. Wait, Gary was being patient with squirtle? His eyes widened at the display of Gary being out of character and he had a passing thought that maybe squirtle would be good for Gary.

He looked to Professor Oak who seemed to be watching the interaction with fascination. It was a known fact that Gary had always wanted his starter to be a squirtle. He wondered if the professor...but before he could get caught up in his thoughts he saw a flame out of the corner of his eye. He turned quickly to watch Amy frantically throw off her hat and proceed to stomp on it to put out the fire. Charmander just sat and watched her struggle; you could see the amusement in his eyes.

Her face was flushed with anger. "You DESTROYED my hat! My precious, exclusive one of a kind..."

So, charmander was a jokester with a bit of a twisted sense of humor. Amy would have trouble getting him to listen to her.

Ash looked down at Bulbasaur who appeared to be taking in the scene with indifference. "So, what's your deal?"

Bulbasaur looked up, and crimson eyes met dark brown. Ash felt like he was being tested as an unintentional stare off began.

Ash eyed the blood red eyes before him with interest. The first emotion he recognized was boredom, but only when he looked beyond did he see more. There was an unspoken challenge, almost as if daring him to look away or blink.

His eyes started to sting when he noticed the determination in the pokemon's own eyes. There was a mix of pride and stubbornness. They mirrored his own in that regard.

But there was more, something he couldn't quite place his finger on.

A voice startled him enough that he accidentally blinked and lost the stare off. Ash bit his lip in frustration to see Bulbasaur had already rolled his eyes to a new place of interest – the floor. With a sigh he tuned in to the words the professor spoke.

"Okay, okay, now that you've all had the opportunity to meet and mingle with your pokemon a bit put them away for now." Oak said nervously whilst eyeing the now charred bits of Amy's hat. They retuned their pokemon in silence.

Both Amy and Gary appeared to be sulking, taking in the personalities of their starters. He didn't gather much from Bulbasaur but he knew there was an untold story there.

"Now, next I'll be handing over your pokeballs." Ash took his pokeballs from the professor, counting them. From what he recalled of previous trainers they were only given six. The professor ignored the once again stumped faces of the children and went on. "...and these are your pokedexes. Remember it's your identity, proof that you are who you say you are but, also used for recording new data on pokemon and telling you information on any you come across."

The professor handed Ash a green one, coincidentally his favorite color. Professor Oak stood in front of the new trainers.

"As I said, things will be different this year. While the beginner pokemon carrier limit is normally six, I took it upon myself to make yours twelve. My reasons for this are purely experimental. I shall explain another time."

"Now, I trust you all, your futures are bright, and I'm confident you can handle this responsibility. Don't neglect your pokemon or become blind to their needs. If having twelve on you is too many, I expect you to tell me immediately so I can lower it." The children nodded their heads, taking the words seriously. Having a man like Professor Oak tell you he trusted you fueled you to meet his expectations.

They would not fail him.

"I wish you all the best on your journey."

 **ooo**

The children began to make their way toward the door.

"Ash, can you stay for a second?" Ash stopped, moving out the way so Gary and Amy could get past him.

"Gary, don't forget to see me before you leave!"

"Yea, yea gramps," and his friend was gone.

The ten year old eyed the professor quizzically.

"Now Ash, there are some things you should know about your bulbasaur before you prepare to head out. You see, we didn't receive him from a breeder." Professor Oak took in Ash's face, noting that he didn't seem confused with that revelation.

"We found Bulbasaur, we as in me and my assistants on an exhibition. At first we were inclined to leave him be, but his age got the better of me I suppose. You see originally I wasn't going to be able to provide a bulbasaur this year, very little of the breeders had eggs and those who did; the hatch date wasn't anywhere near today. Which does me no good because I wouldn't give you guys a freshly hatched pokemon."

"My boy, an understatement is that Bulbasaur was angry with me for catching him. As a result I believe it's going to be hard to earn his acceptance as his trainer. When I gave him a psych exam to check his mental before giving him to one of you we found out some things."

"Bulbasaur's mother was eaten alive by rattata, too weak to fend them off. My theory is that she was hunted by poachers and was able to get away with grave wounds, but no one knows for sure. It's a cruel ending, but thus is the pokemon world. The strongest will prevail while the weak pave the way for their survival."

He pondered over the professor's words. His new partner has been through a lot. It was quite a bit to take in, especially since he wasn't expecting anything like this coming in today. "How old is Bulbasaur?"

"I'd say give or take two years. He's had to fend for himself all this time."

"And how did Bulbasaur get away from the rattata professor? Shouldn't they have tried to get him next?"

"That's where things get a little interesting. He fended them off best he could but eventually they would have overtaken him. It took a lot of digging up but Alakazam was able to find out he was saved by a ninetales. Bulbasaur's memories of it are vague, I suspect due to the ninetales doing, but he's very grateful to it. I am guessing you are puzzled by his strange behavior in how he treated Gary's squirtle?"

Ash nodded, it was like the professor was reading his mind.

"As I said, Bulbasaur is a pokemon whose respect is very difficult to earn. The three starters have been around each other for the past week or so and a system of sorts has been created. Charmander is the bully and Squirtle is the target. Bulbasaur hates pokemon like Charmander who prey on the weak but in a strange twist he also hates pokemon like Squirtle who do nothing to change their circumstances. I'm afraid he respects neither of them."

"Oh, that's…different." Ash didn't know what else to say about it. Usually there were only two stances a pokemon would take in the trio's situation. Be the hero by saving Squirtle from Charmander's cruel ways and get along with Squirtle as a result of pity for him, or simply ignore the entire situation either from not wanting to be bothered or from fear you would be the next target.

Professor Oak gripped his chin. "Different indeed. Bulbasaur is a pokemon whose life was saved at the mercy of another pokemon. As a result he took advantage of his second chance and survived the wild all by his self, something that should have been impossible if a poacher was really targeting him. I'm guessing it angers him to see other pokemon who won't do the same?"

"Not to mention that at the time Bulbasaur was nearly freshly hatched, such a vulnerable age to go without his mother." Ash watched the professor's puzzled face, as if he was trying to figure out how Bulbasaur had survived.

Eventually the professor shrugged, "Well, he's a lucky one for sure."

Ash nodded, thinking about those words.

 **ooo**

Walking out the lab Ash couldn't stop staring at the pokeball. The first step of his dream was now complete. He was officially a trainer, on his way to becoming the strongest in the world and inside this ball was _his_ pokemon. He thought of everything he's been told, what Bulbasaur had been through and couldn't suppress the sense of overprotectiveness that overcame him. He had plans for this pokemon, but first he needed to figure him out.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!"

One second Ash was admiring his pokeball and the next the air was forced out of him as he lay on the hard ground. Ouch. He slowly sat up, shaking off the jitters.

"What the hell," he mumbled as his hand went up to comfort his aching head that broke his fall. When the pain ceased irritation took its place. He sized up the culprit who knocked him down. Light brown hair, freckles...and in pajamas?

"Hey," he muttered and the boy stopped his chanting and took notice of him. The boy's hazel eyes widened and a dark blush stained his cheeks. "I'm so so sorry!" Instantly the boy was on his feet reaching out his hand to help.

He still felt annoyed so Ash ignored his hand, and got up on his own. "It's fine, just watch where you're going next time." He bent down, picked up the pokeball and dusted it off.

"You got a pokemon?" The guy was practically in awe.

"I did, and you are?" Ash moved the ball out of sight. The kid noticeably stood up straighter. "Thomas Holden."

"Ash Ketchum." They shook hands.

"So, I assume you're here for your pokemon. Why are you late?"

Thomas merely avoided eye contact, "I overslept," he mumbled so Ash could just barely make it out.

Then the kid urgently looked up. "Professor Oak would save me one, RIGHT?"

"Who knows...though he was expecting you," Ash added in sensing the boy panicking again.

Ash began to walk off, this wasn't his problem. Without turning around he shouted, "Good luck, I guess."

Ash's opinion of the kid was summarized as what an idiot. Thomas had shown up late for the most important day of his life…and in his pajamas none the less. Although he had to be getting sponsored by the professor for a reason. Ash turned to catch a glimpse of Thomas sprinting in the direction of the lab.

Thomas Holden, eh?

He supposed first impressions could be misleading, he wouldn't underestimate him.

 **ooo**

He was on his way back to his house. He would get his things, say good bye to his mother, and leave. He released Bulbasaur and stopped walking.

"We didn't get a chance to get properly acquainted… my name is Ask Ketchum." Ash smiled down at his starter. When Bulbasaur proceeded to eye him with boredom, Ash forcibly coughed and continued. "Well," he began, realizing he should have expected this to be awkward. "My dream is to become the strongest to ever exist…and travel a lot in the process." Bulbasaur studied him curiously, taking in each of his words. In return he eyed him back, trying to get a read on him.

Ash bit his lip when silence overcame them. He knew that his starter wouldn't be able to talk to him, but some form of communication would have been nice. Even a grunt would have sufficed.

Ash got down to his knees so he was eye level with his starter, who took a few cautious steps back. Ash did his best to ignore the distrust in its eyes and gave the saurian a big grin. He wanted this pokemon's respect, he wanted him to like him, and he wanted to be partners.

"I know that with you by my side my dream won't stay just that, it'll become a reality. So what do you say Bulbasaur, will you accept me as your trainer?" The moments that followed were so achingly long Ash began to feel a little disheartened, but he wouldn't give up. He stretched out his hand, almost like an offering to the grass type.

"As your trainer I promise to be there when you're happy, sad, lonely, confused, when you just need company. We'll be best friends, no secrets between us. I'll trust you with my life, and I hope you do the same. I'll accept every part of you Bulbasaur."

Bulbasaur stared into his eyes, and he did the same. Bulbasaur looked away first.

"Bulba bulbasaur." In a swift movement like he did at the lab he extracted one of his vines and pushed away Ash's hand.

"Huh?" Ash titled his head in confusion. He waited patiently for an explanation.

"Bulba saur, bulba bulba." Ash tried his best to make sense to what his pokemon was saying.

"I have to earn your trust?" Ash eventually guessed.

"Bulba bulba." Bulbasaur nodded in agreement.

Ash laughed, "So what is this, a trial period?"

"-_-"

Bulbasaur's straight face immediately made his amused smile drop. Bulbasaur was dead serious. Ash scratched his head awkwardly. He honestly wasn't expecting this reaction. Bulbasaur were typically mild, and easy to get on their good side.

Winning him over should have been a piece of cake and now he had to work for it.

He took another glance at the tight faced bulb pokemon and decided that nothing was really worth it if he didn't work for it. Bulbasaur seemed like a pokemon worth fighting for.

Ash held up his fist in muster, feeling pumped.

"Fine, you're on Bulbasaur! But one way or another you're going to accept me being your trainer!" He exclaimed.

He deflated upon seeing Bulbasaur's unimpressed face.

"Tough crowd," Ash muttered.

"Bulba." Bulbasaur took one of his vines and pointed to his pokeball that was still firmly in Ash's hand. After realizing Bulbasaur wished to be returned, Ash hit the button and the grass type was enveloped in a red light.

He took a few moments to stare at the pokeball.

He needed to look on the bright side of the situation. Bulbasaur was giving him a chance, making him in Ash's opinion a fair pokemon. Sure his journey wasn't starting off as he would have liked but nothing should always go exactly as he wanted. His journey wouldn't be interesting if everything went according to planned.

"What, did I think we would pick daisies and ride off into the sunset together?" Ash snorted at how delusional his image of him and Bulbasaur's relationship starting actually was. Any reasonable pokemon should be on the fence when meeting a stranger.

Maybe… it's good that he didn't get a pokemon too trusting. How could you become best friends with someone you just met anyway?

When he was near his home he released Bulbasaur once more.

Ash glanced at him. "I didn't tell you. We're going to my house and saying good bye to my mom. Then we hit the road, just you and me."

"There's my house." Ash pointed it out. Bulbasaur took in the white house with a red roof, the closer they got they were able to make out the smell of food.

Ash marched right up to the white fence that creaked while opening. He walked into his house and after announcing his presence and began to make his way to the stairs, and then as if remembering something he swiftly turned. The grass pokemon was still at the door looking a tad uncomfortable. Ash motioned with his head to follow. "Come on, I'll show you my room."

Once in his room he made his way to the book bag by the wooden desk. Opening it up and checking what he already knew was inside he was satisfied. He zipped it up and began showing Bulbasaur around. Once the quick tour was over he walked out, Bulbasaur following. He stopped to look at the room by the door.

"This is the last time I'll see my room for a while, I want to remember it," he explained. He took in his bed with the pokeball spread. Next his gaze swept to the small desk he'd spent countless hours reading about pokemon. He eyed his collection of pokemon plush dolls he's had since a toddler. There was a bulbasaur, charmander, squirtle, nidorina, teddiursa and many more.

How funny that he had a plush bulbasaur and now he had the real thing.

Once downstairs he made his way to the kitchen. He found his mom and Mr. Mime wrapping up food. She engulfed him in a hug upon site.

"Bulba." She finally took notice it wasn't just them in the kitchen.

"You got a bulbasaur! Gosh it's just the cutest thing. So you're the one that's going to protect my little Ashy ne?" Bulbasaur titled his head. Without warning she scooped the pokemon up, cradling him whilst Bulbasaur looked uneasy. Gently, Bulbasaur pushed himself away from her with his vines and she took notice of his discomfort.

Finally, after releasing the grass type she gave Ash her infamous mom glare so he would know she meant business. "Ash, be safe okay? Bulbasaur is to protect you, but you are to protect him as well, you owe him that. Now, have fun and don't forget to call."

"I will mom, promise." She hugged him long and hard again. There weren't many words for her to say, she's ingrained them into him all his life after learning he wished to become a trainer. She was as prepared for this day as any mother could be. Now all that was left was for her to trust that she's raised him well.

"I love you Ash."

"I love you too mom."

Coming apart she handed him the food she wrapped.

"Hey mom, do me a favor and give away those plush dolls to the neighborhood kids."

She paused. "Are you sure? You've been collecting those since you were four Ash."

"Mmhm I'm sure, I don't need them anymore."

"Well, if you're certain…"

She escorted them to the door. Standing at the foot of the front door she watched him leave.

"Bye Mom." He waved, running off with Bulbasaur on his heels.

"Don't forget to call!" She shouted after them. She felt lonely already.

"Mime?"

"Your right, I still have you, huh?" She smiled and the unshed tears began to fall, she wiped them away hastily.

"Now, let's go work on that garden."

 **ooo**

Passing Professor Oak's lab he took notice of the crowd, all there to see Gary and Amy off. His mom wanted to do something similar so he was thankful he could convince her not to. It took some pleading but she accepted he was a simpler person.

Seeing the crowd that was here for Gary and Amy only made him wonder who Thomas Holden was and where his supporters were.

"I thank all of you for coming to see me, Gary Oak as I leave on my journey. I will surely not disappoint you in making a name out of this town!"

The crowd cheered as Ash looked away from second hand embarrassment. Some things about Gary seemed to never change.

"Bulba bulba saur." The grass type frowned up his face.

"Yeah I know, he's an attention hog, and…my best friend." Bulbasaur looked at him as if to ask why, and Ash shrugged his shoulders. He was trying to get on Bulbasaur's good side so telling him about what might seem as a poor choice in friends wasn't really helping.

Gary spotted him and shouted over. "Wait Ash, leaving already?" His friend worked his way through the people and over to him, the crowd disbanding at his departure.

"Yea, I got some things to do, need the head start."

"Of course you do." Gary rolled his eyes.

"Before I leave though, want to battle?" Ash arched an eyebrow, challenging Gary.

Gary frowned. "I'm going to pass on that Ash. You saw Squirtle at the lab; I want to build up his confidence first. I'm not going to put him in a battle we both know the result, its bad mojo."

A disappointed sigh escaped his lips. "Okay, I understand."

He was kind of upset his first battle with his first pokemon wouldn't be with his rival, but he respected Gary's decision. It was probably the right one after all. "Well if that's it, then I'm leaving."

"Cool make sure you stay in-"

"WAIT!" A girly screech reached their ears, making the two boy pause instantly.

They watched as Amy began jogging over to them and they let out identical sighs.

"What do you think she wants?" Gary scowled openly, letting out an irritable huff. It was obvious he already formed a distasteful opinion against her.

"Who knows, let's just hear her out." Ash reasoned with his friend.

Upon reaching them she was slightly out of breath. She moved her bangs out of her face, and behind her ears. "Which one of you wants to battle me?" Her eyes darted between Ash and Gary before she got her answer.

"I will," he declared, stepping forward.

Ten minutes later they all stood at the practice grounds. Gary off to the side, and Ash and Amy on opposite sides in training boxes outlined in red paint.

"I guess I'll be the referee." Gary released his Squirtle. Ash assumed Gary wanted the water type to watch so he could point things out.

"Charmander, time for battle!" Instantly the fire breathing lizard was released from his pokeball but upon looking at his trainer and seeing his opponent he proceeded to sit down.

"Charmander get up, were about to battle!" Charmander ignored her. While she pestered with the pokemon to get him to battle Ash recalled all he knew of Bulbasaur.

Then with a bitter frown he instantly realized he knew nothing.

He planned to scan Bulbasaur earlier, but the thought had escaped him.

Earlier he had shoved his pokedex down his bag, so there was no time to look for it. Plus, he didn't want Gary or Amy to see how unprepared he was. Ash sighed, taking a second to shuffle his dark locks in a show of irritation at himself. What a rookie mistake!

He instantly turned his focus from his own pokemon to his opponent. Guessing the age of Charmander the fire type would probably know growl, scratch, and ember. Nothing more and nothing less, he hoped. Amy would have type advantage here too.

"Don't you want to get that bulbasaur back from hitting you?!" That got Charmander's attention; it stood up ready for battle.

"Good, now remember what we talked about. Listen to me," Amy commanded sternly.

Gary looked at both sides and announced the start of the battle.

"Charmander get up close, now!" Charmander began to make his way over as quickly as his legs could, to his credit it was pretty fast.

Once he got into range Ash shouted, "Grab him with your vines!" Bulbasaur launched his vines at the lizard, quickly circling around its waist. Instantly, Ash was relieved to see that Bulbasaur was listening to him.

"Charmander get free!"

"Now throw him." With all the strength Bulbasaur could muster he began to slowly struggle to lift Charmander and in a rapid movement throw him. The lizard was hurled onto the ground, slow to get up.

"Now quickly tackle!" Ash was hoping Bulbasaur could get this attack in.

He didn't know Bulbasaur's move set, but at the very least the grass type should know tackle, growl, and vine whip!

Bulbasaur sprinted, fast enough that its speed made a gasp escape Ash's mouth. A quick look to Gary and Amy told him he wasn't the only one surprised that those stubby green legs moved so quickly.

"Not so fast! Ember!" Bulbasaur being so close to Charmander was ultimately hit by the orange flames and cried out in pain. Ash went from wincing at the super effective blow to being relieved when his pokemon at least left the exchange being able to finish off the tackle.

The two pokemon stood in front of each other growling and sizing each other up as they circled around the other.

"Use vine whip." Bulbasaur attempted to use vine whip, Charmander either dodging the vines or batting them to the side. Bulbasaur's distance was giving Charmander enough time to react; he'd have to get closer.

"You use scratch and watch out for the vines," was Amy's command.

The two pokemon began to sprint toward each other. Bulbasaur gracefully weaving around Charmander, seemingly easily dodging the scratches and hitting him with a vine when the saurian found openings.

Charmander was tired. It was moving sluggishly and was attempting to hit Bulbasaur with scratches when the grass type was nowhere near him. It was time to end this.

In an abrupt movement Charmander couldn't have dodged even if he saw coming, Bulbasaur tackled him. The lizard pokemon collapsed, unconscious.

"Charmander is unable to battle, the winner is Bulbasaur!"

"Tsk," Amy smacked her teeth. She returned Charmander and was getting to go on her way, but not without parting words. The three rookie trainers met up in the middle of the training field. Amy crossed her arms over her chest and with a scowl spoke first.

"My Charmander and I have a lot of work to do, but I assure you next time you see us you'll taste defeat, Ash."

Gary tried to stifle a laugh but she caught it. "Oh, you will too Gary. Good luck on making progress with your _runt_." She emphasized the word, smirking when the smile on Gary's face was wiped off.

Gary quickly masked the shot to his pride with a forced grin. "Heh. Please, I'm Gary Oak! Even with a pokemon like squirtle I could beat you."

Amy gave a mockingly pleasant smile in return. "Really now? Big words, It's a shame I can't put you in your place right now."

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "I can wait though. I look forward to seeing you on the road." Then she sarcastically curtsied and walked off. Gary's face instantly went back to a frown.

"Hey, ignore her." Ash consoled, trying to calm down Gary while his best friend quietly seethed. He spared Squirtle a glance, and the water type looked disheartened. Amy's words got to both of them. Well, not that Gary's words could have helped.

"It's whatever." Gary shot back. He seemed to be in his thoughts so now seemed to be the perfect time to leave.

"See you around," he directed toward Gary.

"Huh? Yea, catch you later Ash."

Ash momentarily paused at Gary not saying his signature phrase but continued on. Gary would be fine; this is where they were similar. In these types of situations he would want to be alone.

Examining Bulbasaur, Ash found his starter to be fine, just a little out of breath. He'd give him a potion for his burns.

"I'm proud of you, it was our first win together. You were clearly the better pokemon." Bulbasaur awkwardly tilted his head in acceptance of the praise.

 **ooo**

"I'm impressed with your stamina." Bulbasaur held up his head in pride. They'd been walking for an hour now, almost at the destination. Despite battling earlier the bulb pokemon was just fine.

"Seriously, you're strong and surprisingly fast." Ash pointed out, remembering Bulbasaur from the battle.

Upon hearing that word Bulbasaur began to run ahead, Ash sprinting after him. Reaching a point in the road Bulbasaur stopped and waited for Ash to catch up. Upon reaching him Ash was slightly out of breath.

"Yep, definitely fast!" How did he get so lucky with his starter pokemon? He was surprised, even at this stage Bulbasaur's were regarded as slow.

 _When he's a Venusaur there's no way he will be so fast._

 _Or will he?_

Ash took out his green device that would hopefully confirm his little theory on his pokemon. This was long overdue anyway.

"Bulbasaur, do you mind if I scan you with this? It'll give me some information about you."

Bulbasaur blinked, then blinked again.

Taking that as a sign he didn't mind, Ash pointed the device that referred to itself as Dexter at his starter.

" _Bulbasaur, the grass and poison type pokemon. Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back that grow's progressively larger as it soaks up the sun's rays."_

" _This bulbasaur is male and knows the moves: Tackle, growl, leech seed, vine whip, poison powder, and giga drain. Its ability is overgrow which is a status boosting condition that activates when the bearer is pushed to exhaustion."_

Ash frowned at having been proven wrong. After seeing how fast Bulbasaur was he thought (hoped) that his starter had chlorophyll as his ability, as rare as it was. Now that it's come to light, Bulbasaur had overgrow as his ability, as did the vast majority of his species.

That meant his speed wouldn't last. As he grew, his size would slow him down more and more. Though Ash wasn't too disappointed, overgrow was a cool ability in its own right.

Now on to other matters. "Giga drain? You know giga drain Bulbasaur?"

Bulbasaur tilted his head in confusion so Ash went to his pokedex for answers. He was right, giga drain wasn't a move the bulbasaur line was capable of learning naturally. They couldn't even learn it by using a TM. There was only one way Bulbasaur could know the move and that was by breeding.

Bulbasaur didn't know how to use the move yet, but he was capable of learning it. It would probably be quite a while before Bulbasaur was ready to try learning it. Seeing as it's an advanced move and all. Ash smirked at Bulbasaur, who was still eyeing him with confusion. "What a cool thing to inherit from your parents."

 **ooo**

They were here.

"Xanadu Nursery," he read the sign aloud. He looked up at the large globe like building. When he was younger it seemed so much bigger. The nursery was see-through, with overgrown plants running up along in various areas, sticking out in different directions. Most people in Pallet hated it; they thought it made the place look unkempt. Though to him, it was one of its many charms.

Once inside he turned his attention toward Bulbasaur.

"I used to come here all the time when I was younger. As a grass type I felt you could appreciate this place." Bulbasaur looked up at Ash.

"Bulba, saur." He couldn't help but be amused at the look of awe on his starters face. Since meeting Bulbasaur it was the most emotion he's seen from the saurian.

Ash watched his starter take in all the plants and flowers, sniffing ones that especially caught his interest. The place smelled great and the atmosphere made you feel relaxed.

More than likely there were plants here that Bulbasaur had never seen in the wild. He was confident that Bulbasaur would love it here, but it wasn't his true purpose for being here. The nursery was just a large greenhouse with various flowers and plants. His mother used to send him for fertilizer all the time before she got Mr. Mime.

Apparently it's been under new ownership for a few months now. The man who owned it retired, leaving it to his young daughter. His mom and the neighbors would gossip about it. Since not much happened in their small town anything was gossip worthy for a couple of months.

As they walked around they spotted a bellsprout and oddish. It was strange, the nursery wasn't open to wild pokemon. Though the pokemon never approached them, instead just peeping in and out of sight before disappearing. They were successfully putting Bulbasaur on edge.

Suddenly, Bulbasaur began to growl. Ash swiftly turned to the sight of a violet haired woman. Beside her was a rather large vileplume.

"Can I help you?" She asked. Beside him Bulbasaur tensed up and released another growl.

"It's okay Bulbasaur." Bulbasaur ceased his growling but Ash could see the grass type was still tense. His starter wasn't taking his eyes off the pair for a second. Ash smiled at his antics and directed his words to the woman.

"Hello, my name is Ash Ketchum and I'm a new trainer. I came here with my starter to enjoy the flowers and plants." Wow, that really just came out of his mouth. He really was a trainer now.

She smiled brightly at him "Oh! Well come on, I'd be happy to show you around." She rushed over to him in an instant, ushering him to follow her.

He knew this place inside and out, but he decided not to burst her bubble. He began to walk beside her, Bulbasaur trailing a bit behind.

"Ah, I guess you can say I'm in charge here. My name is Florinda Showers." She paused and with a blush added, "Well, soon to be Florinda Baker."

"Congrats on your engagement," he nodded at the ring on her finger. She gushed a bit more before proceeding to tell him all about her fiancé.

She showed them around, pointing out various things he already knew about, nothing capturing his attention. She told him a little about herself like how her father retired leaving her to take over. Or how her fiancé usually helped and is out sick today and the few pokemon they saw around belonged to her.

"and that right there is the stun spore plant…" He perked up, finally. "One sniff and your body will go paralyzed; well my Vileplume here has worked up a bit of immunity against it." She was obviously proud of that fact.

"How long have you had your Vileplume now?" He took the time to take in her prized pokemon. Vileplume was a grass and poison type and the evolved form of gloom. His gaze lingered on the red and white specked flower atop of its head. It was admittedly beautiful, but he sniggered at the thought of one day Bulbasaur's bloomed flower putting it to shame.

Though, the size of Vileplume was certainly impressive. The average size for one was typically nearing four feet, and this one was taller than him by a few inches, making it roughly five feet.

"She's been with me for about six years now." Came Florinda's response as she shared a sentimental look with her partner. Vileplume smiled and let out a happy chuckle, giving off the air it was friendly pokemon.

"So are you strong?" He got straight to the point.

Her smile disappeared and in its place formed a smirk. "We are," all confidence and seriousness in her tone. His body shivered.

"Could you do me a favor or two?"

 **ooo**

"Are you, um, sure about this?" He couldn't help but let a tiny smile slip at how nervous she sounded. He stopped his fiddling to face her fully, giving her his most confidant smile.

"I am! We've talked about it." Bulbasaur nodded, but still seemed a bit skeptical.

"Legally I can't really get in trouble for doing this but I can't help but feel this is wrong, er, morally." She shook her head as she got the antidote ready for use.

Vileplume mimicked Florinda, shaking her head to signal she also thought this was a bad idea.

"Don't worry, I've done my research. Bulbasaur should be fine after being given the antidote. It'll affect me a lot more but I should be okay. If everything goes correctly there won't be any long term side effects. So, what's the harm?"

Bulbasaur was a pokemon that had a lot of moves that affected the status conditions of opponents. Having your very own moves used against you and working is something Ash liked to avoid. He wanted Bulbasaur to know what he was doing to other pokemon when he used his status moves.

Not being able to control your body was frightening. If there were actually any cases of someone being permanently paralyzed by such a small dose he would never be doing this.

It surprised him that his starter agreed. Did Bulbasaur trust him? Or was the saurian's pride just not going to accept Ash doing it and one upping him?

Either way, Bulbasaur didn't understand why he also wanted to be paralyzed by stun spore. That didn't matter though, Ash wanted them to experience this together. As a trainer he couldn't share the pain his pokemon would feel in battle. So he wanted to be able to relate and feel close to them in as many ways as possible.

Though, he had come up with the idea of participating in this after learning he was on a trial of sorts with Bulbasaur. If doing this earned him even a tiny portion of brownie points with the grass type it would be worth it.

"I'll go first," Ash announced. He stood and walked straight up to the cut stem of the green plant. Florinda had cut a small enough piece off that his body could actually handle. It was such a tiny dose, taking into account that he was human, and a child at that.

He looked back at the disapproving faces of Florinda, Bulbasaur and Vileplume. Deciding it was now or never he bent over and breathed in a generous amount.

The effects were immediate.

He froze up and attempted to move his fingers…nothing. His eyes darted left and right against his will and he couldn't help but wonder if he was panicking. He thought he was mentally prepared for this but it was still incredibly overwhelming!

The black spots in the corner of his eyes slowly took over so he knew fighting was futile.

Then there was darkness.

As he slowly opened his eyes to avoid the brightness all his memories came back. "H-How long was I out?" He sat up slowly to avoid a headache.

"Bulbasaur?" He eyed his starter in the corner who looked quite uncomfortable.

"You were out for a whole hour." Florinda barely spared him a glance as she flipped a page of her magazine. Ash smiled in her direction, so much for her being concerned.

"An hour...good, that's about what I was expecting." He clapped his hands as he announced, "Okay, your turn."

Vileplume lowered the entire plant to the floor so it was easily accessible for Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur would take in a much higher dosage than him, but he was a pokemon so his body was built to handle these things more effectively.

Just as he did, Bulbasaur walked straight up and turned to glance back at Ash. Upon receiving an encouraging nod his starter sniffed the plant just as he had.

Ash watched the grass type freeze up and his pupils enlarge. Some drool piled up in the corner of Bulbasaur's mouth and slowly slid down. Ash rushed over to his starter's side to hold him without a second thought.

Bulbasaur began to spasm uncontrollably. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," Ash reassured.

As Florinda tended to Bulbasaur and administered the antidote Ash reflected on everything.

That was nothing compared to the pain pokemon are put through daily. The thirst for battle must be unreal, to take a hit, get up and ask for more. It had to be an addicting feeling.

Bulbasaur awakened immediately, a bit in a daze just like Ash thought he'd be.

"Scary right? Imagine having to battle like that, we'd be goners." Bulbasaur had a contemplating look on his face as he regarded Ash's words. Slowly, he began moving closer to Ash to listen. His stubby legs wobbled and Ash almost wanted to laugh at Bulbasaur's dazed look.

Bulbasaur was kind of cute all disoriented.

But Bulbasaur wouldn't agree, so Ash licked his lips to hide his smile. "That's one of the main things I want to work on, building up a resistance to them. Sleep powder which you'll be learning next, sing, confusion, poison, paralysis, and more."

"Saur…" Bulbasaur eyed his trainer, the words he spoke made a lot of sense. The room got quiet before Florida set down her magazine, now finished.

"What's the other favor you mentioned?" She asked skeptically.

Oh yeah! How could he forget? He could barely contain his excitement as he looked to Bulbasaur to access his condition and then back to Florinda. "Can I challenge you to a battle?"

 **ooo**

Here he was again, getting ready to experience his second battle of the day with his pokemon. Though this feeling was much different than earlier. Now he felt like he had something to prove. How strange he was to be so excited, so prepared to lose. He wasn't a fool, there was no way the two of them could win this battle. His goal was to make an impression, to experience the gap in power and use that as motivation to get stronger.

Across the field from him Florinda cleared her throat. She wanted to say something, so as far as she was she would have to talk loudly for it to reach his ears.

"I was a trainer for three years before I decided it wasn't for me. I much more preferred the company of my pokemon and just traveling and experiencing the world. Though that doesn't make us weak by any means. My last year in the league I reached the top eight." She laughed into her hand. "Though I haven't trained for about half a year now, so this should be fun! Give me a good battle Ash."

Absentmindedly he nodded to her, his mind already racing through possible scenarios and strategies. He examined the battlefield that he had no clue existed. So much for knowing this place like the back of his hand. The field wasn't large but it wasn't small either. It was generously covered in leaves and plants, perfect for camouflage.

"Well, I'll allow you the first move. Whenever you're ready."

Ash wasted no time in taking advantage of the first move.

"Bulbasaur, get up close and try to grab her with your vines. Be quick about it." He spoke softly, confident his pokemon could hear.

Within a seconds notice Bulbasaur was sprinting towards Vileplume. By the gasp and the look on her face he could tell Florinda was surprised…good. Bulbasaur's speed had been a surprise to him too. Thanks to his pokemon's green coloration, Bulbasaur was zooming in and out of sight because of all the plants.

"Now!" Bulbasaur jumped into view and released his vines. Just as Ash thought this could work Vileplume grabbed Bulbasaur's vines, only needing that split second of exposure.

"Reel him in." Yolanda's voice was deadly calm.

As Bulbasaur was reeled in he could think of only one thing to do.

"Leech seed!" Bulbasaur's bulb opened up to reveal a large brown seed. It launched its way toward Vileplume who easily side stepped it. Upon connecting with the ground it exploded into an abundance of plants and vines.

Bulbasaur continued to launch seeds at Vileplume all of which were avoided. Dammit, what should he do? He wanted to at least get an attack in!

"Ash, you and Bulbasaur have had enough of status conditions for the day. I'll refrain from using them."

"Petal blizzard."

He watched helplessly as in a second's notice of the order hundreds of pink petals erupted from Vileplume and formed together to be a bright looming force. He looked up, mesmerized as all the pink petals swirled together in sync until as one they were all projected toward his pokemon.

Ash was a safe distance away, and yet with the absence of a psychic field he could feel great pressure from the storm. He could only imagine what Bulbasaur was feeling.

The force of the storm had him closing his eyes and forcefully taking steps back from the thrust of the wind. He sputtered, spitting out a single petal that had gotten in his mouth, before he took his attention back to the battle. He squinted, his eyes stinging from the air, searching for any sign of Bulbasaur.

All his vision allowed him to see was pink blurs. He was blinded by the storm, and he couldn't shout out orders because the whirling of the petals would make his shout seem as a whisper in comparison. Feeling useless, he realized his only option was to wait. Bulbasaur had no choice but to stand and endure the storm as Vileplume held his vines captive.

Then, eventually the petals began to fall to the ground harmlessly. As if it was fall, and they were innocently floating from the tree they once occupied.

Except that tree had been Bulbasaur.

As everything cleared out Ash was astonished to see Bulbasaur a short distance from Vileplume. The first thing Ash noticed was how scratched up the grass type looked in comparison to his body minutes ago.

With a snarl, Bulbasaur built up his speed and momentum, quickly tackling the larger pokemon. Somehow, Bulbasaur was able to push his way through the storm and use his captured vines as an advantage; it provided a clear route straight to Vileplume.

Pride surged through Ash as he realized his pokemon hadn't buckled under pressure, turning a messy situation into a means to attack.

"Way to hang in there!" He shouted in encouragement.

"Double team, and get close," Florinda snapped immediately once Vileplume fell to the ground. At once, Vileplume was on her feet, appearing unfazed by the tackle.

Ash counted the copies; fifteen. He was on edge about this, what was she planning?

"Don't let them get close." Bulbasaur's ears twitch in response to the warning.

Then, the copies attacked.

Bulbasaur destroyed every copy that got too close with his vines, just as Ash wanted. They were both wary of which was the real one. When it was down to three copies his opponent made her move. Vileplume wasn't very agile but she had experience, she was clever, and frankly that was all she needed.

The last three copies rushed him at once.

It was a good thing Bulbasaur was fast, he dodged the first one, whipping it as it past him, a fake. It was in that moment one of the Vileplume's paused. Barely noticeable, just enough so the other could go ahead before it. If Ash noticed it surely Bulbasaur did, but he wanted to make sure just in case.

"Ignore that one! It's the other, leech seed!"

Bulbasaur's leech seed hit home. Vileplume ceased her movement; even in this situation it was calm. Vileplume lifted one of its flabby arms to test its restriction, her beady red eyes taking in her new predicament.

"Now, vine whip!" Bulbasaur was able to hit Vileplume twice before she burst through the vines restricting her movement. Then, she pranced out of reach of Bulbasaur's vines.

"End this with energy ball dear," came Florinda's sweet voice.

Vileplume had a quick release.

There was no time to dodge, not even time for Ash to speak an order.

One second he blinked, and the next Bulbasaur was being hit dead on by the ball of energy.

The area was engulfed in light, and he was blinded. His heart was in his throat as he waited for the light to clear so he could open his eyes and see the damage for himself.

That attack was probably Vileplume's strongest and at that close of range…

As the brightness died down and he saw Bulbasaur shakily still standing, he felt his heart calm down a bit. What a stubborn pokemon.

Right when he unlatched his pokeball to return his pokemon Bulbasaur took one step forward before his legs gave in and he collapsed.

Ash sighed. He expected this, though it didn't make it any less disappointing. The attacks he was able to get in didn't even affect her pokemon in the slightest.

"Let's get him patched up, shall we?" Florinda made her way over to him, Vileplume happily churning at her side.

He nodded to her and walked to the center of the battlefield to pick up Bulbasaur, not wanting to return him. Bulbasaur wasn't particular heavy, but he certainly wasn't on the light side either.

On the way to her office he whispered how proud he was and lucky to have him. He knew Bulbasaur couldn't hear him but that was fine, he wanted to voice his thoughts. Upon reaching the office she took out a revive and other bandages. This would just be a quick fix up. He'd make a stop at Professor Oak's lab for a proper treatment.

"You guys are going to be the best of friends, I can tell," Florinda whispered as she applied ointment on a particularly nasty cut. It was probably from one of the many petals.

"I hope so." He didn't know how else to respond. Right now he wasn't so sure.

"You will, and battling wise you guys have potential, lots of it," she assured.

Ash just kept his eyes on Bulbasaur, the latter who was also watching him. When Yolanda finished up she removed her gloves and took a deep breath.

"You held back," he accused suddenly. Florinda ceased her humming to turn around and raise an eyebrow. Her scarlet eyes were filled with mystery, or was that amusement?

"Eh? What makes you think that?" She teased as she picked up the gloves and threw them into a nearby trash can.

Ash felt a sting to his pride. "You claim to have went to the top eight a couple years ago. When you did that double team, Vileplume hesitated for a split second to give away she was the real one. That was intentional, wasn't it?"

Florinda's smile cracked before she threw her hands up in surrender.

"Look Ash, it wouldn't have been much of a battle if I just curb stomped you." She took a moment to think about her logic before shrugging.

Ash had no response for her other than to frown at the confirmation. So was any of that battle even real? Could she have dodged that leech seed? Did she have time to burst out of said leech seed before being hit with Bulbasaur's vine whip? What about Bulbasaur's tackle that had him so excited in the beginning? Could she have dodged that too? Or could Vileplume have just countered each and every move he made…

His frown deepened as he realized the battle had been a waste of his time. Now, he had no clue how well Bulbasaur had performed against a more experienced trainer.

On the contrary she was right, if she hadn't held back it wouldn't have been much of a battle. Though, battle experience hadn't been what he wanted to get out of this whole thing. He wanted to know how far Bulbasaur and he needed to go. He wanted to experience the real gap in power.

Now he was left with more questions than he came with.

"I didn't want you to hold back. It's disrespectful to your opponent." He urged Bulbasaur to follow him as he walked toward the door. He turned the knob and paused as she responded.

"It is rude I admit. Though, things would have been ugly if I didn't."

She hadn't taken him seriously. That knowledge really irked him, so he would thank her for her time and be on his way.

"I see. Well, thank-"

"The top isn't anything you're ready for anytime soon, Ash," Florinda interrupted.

"I know I'm not ready. I just wanted to know how big the gap is." He released his grip on the knob to turn around and face her once more. Her face was deadly serious, and he couldn't understand why.

"I'm aiming for the top, so of course I want to know what their like up there." He tried to convey his reasoning to her once more.

"Their monsters," she disclosed with a chilling voice and a haunting look in her eyes. Beside her, Vileplume whined at the turn of conversation. He noticed she said 'their' as if she wasn't including herself. She made it to the top eight in Kanto once, isn't that the top?

"Everyone at the top is terrifying, and I wasn't ready," she concluded, giving Vileplume's delicate flower a soft pat.

"You weren't ready?" What did she mean?

Florinda sighed as she took a seat. "I wasn't ready," she confirmed. "I made it to the top eight but all six of my pokemon were demolished by just one. I was powerless, and tried to delude myself into thinking that the person who beat me was just amazing. That they were the rare needle in the haystack that exceeds everyone's expectations. And yet, that person went on to be beat. I truly learned how far I was from the actual top, and I lost hope."

"You lost hope? So that means…" Ash was so confused, hadn't she given up battling so she could focus on just spending time with her pokemon?

"Yes, I loved battling with all my heart. I didn't stop because I wanted to focus on traveling, I just gave up." She took a deep breath and forced a grin on her face.

She got up from her seat and made her way to the door. "Enough of the dramatics, let's see you out, okay?"

With no response he could only stare dumbly.

Once they reached the entrance she asked for his phone number. "You never know, maybe you'll need some help in the future. Besides, you look like you wouldn't stay in touch," she winked.

He laughed. "Sure, why not?" He pulled out his Xtransceiver and handed it to her so she could put in her info. He should start wearing it on his wrist, he supposed. He spent a good portion of his savings on the device; he could at least use it right. Getting his hands on it wasn't easy; the professor decided he would pull some strings for the new trainers if they paid for it themselves. The professor didn't want to spoil them with all the latest things. Which was fine by Ash, the old man had already done so much for them.

"There, all set!" She gave him a toothy smile.

He placed the gadget on his wrist. Flexing it around he decided he liked the look.

"Thank you for everything. I learned some important lessons with your help." He faced and bowed to Florinda.

"Ash, your way too polite! Make sure you come back and visit. I have a feeling you and your bulbasaur will become an amazing team, you're an interesting pair."

"Don't worry, we'll be back. We have unfinished business here after all," he smirked.

"Good luck out there Ash, I'm rooting for you."

He smiled in response. "Nothing is going to stop me from reaching my dream," he promised.

 **ooo**

Boy and pokemon walked side by side lost in their respective thoughts.

After traveling what he thought a decent distance Ash stopped.

They hadn't covered enough ground to get to Viridian city, it would take roughly another day. He began to make a suitable camp. It was surprising they didn't see any trainers so far. Everyone must be ahead of him by now, but that's okay. They'd wake up early and catch up tomorrow. Once he got the fire going he laid down. Bulbasaur left a large gap between them before lying down as well. To Ash he seemed so far away.

He ignored the hurt he felt from having such a distant pokemon and spoke.

"Next you should learn razor leaf, or maybe take down. We should also consider sleep powder for pesky wild pokemon too. If there's one thing for sure it's that you need more physical attacks. Though as you grow you'll slip into a long range style for attacking."

"Saur."

"So, today we learned some pretty valuable lessons. We have many weaknesses, were not invincible, and have a long way to go before we can consider ourselves strong."

Bulbasaur agreed. Next time he saw that vileplume he wanted to win. No, he would win.

Ash wiggled for warmth in the sleeping bag, drifting to sleep.

 **ooo**

Today marked the second day of his journey. Sadly it's been uneventful. They trained for a bit but that was all there was to it. According to the signs they would reach Viridian City in thirty minutes.

The whole day he's been on the lookout for potential pokemon. He couldn't wait to expand his team! Unfortunately, he hadn't seen any pokemon that caught his interest. They mostly saw pidgey, spearow, bellsprout, oddish and the like.

Up ahead on the path he could see another trainer. When he first started out he was under the impression that he would see trainers all the time on the road. He was clearly mistaken. He had only seen one from his journey between Pallet and Viridian and the trainer wasn't interested in a battle. The teen had lost interest immediately upon learning Ash was a rookie.

It hurt his and Bulbasaur's pride to be underestimated but he wouldn't beg for a battle. The guy wasn't cocky, he was just aware of his level and wouldn't settle for anything less. He had advised Ash not to be so eager to lose all his money to battles. Something about appearing as easy cash to a veteran.

Since Ash was coming from Pallet he hoped the reason he hasn't seen many people was because he was coming from a small town that had nothing to offer traveling trainers. When he had envisioned his journey he saw himself on the road with endless opportunities to battle other trainers.

The closer he got to the trainer he decided to initiate a conversation. So he walked up to the big boulder the girl was leaned back against. Beside her he could see a rapidash, evident by the long, pointy horn on its head.

They were beautiful creatures, this one an excellent example of its kind. Knelt in the grass, Ash looked to its hooves that did not expel flames. Pokemon of the ponyta line were capable of controlling the amount of fire and where their flames ejected from their bodies.

This one did not have any flames at her legs, so it did not burn the grass it lay in. Its fur was creamy, white, and clean. The pokemon was well taken care of, Ash concluded as he looked at the long fiery mane that burned fiercely, shouting pride.

Their ability to control their flames was used to gauge how experienced they were. So far this one seemed well trained. The fact that this pokemon was consciously not burning the grass pointed to it being a habit her trainer had taught it.

In the wild, despite being such gentle creatures, the horse pokemon wouldn't go out of their way to not burn the grass they lay in. Instead, they choose to lay about lazily and when their done, they would put out any fire they started by stomping on it with their hooves.

He knew this because he had read up a lot on this pokemon. They were one of the many fire types he had his eye on. If you ever wanted to know if a herd was near or not, you would check the condition of the grass. It was a sure sign.

The horse like pokemon cooed out and continued to cater to its fur. The beautiful pokemon no doubt belonged to the girl. It had taken notice of him but its calm gaze obviously did not regard him as a threat at all.

To this pokemon that emitted confidence, Ash, and anything he could potentially own was nowhere near its level.

Upon seeing Ash, the girl stood up straighter and bit one last chunk of her apple before tossing it to the rapidash beside her.

"What's…up?" She asked in between chews. The girl was definitely in her late teens, judging from her developed body and height. Her face was slim and had a maturity that as ten years of age Ash was nowhere near developing. He still had plenty of chub in his cheeks he wanted to be rid of.

Now in close proximity he was starting to feel the full effects of being close to a fire pokemon that expelled flames. He wiped the sweat off his brow, wondering how the girl handled it.

"Want to battle?" He got straight to the point.

The girl tilted her head, the shiny barrette attached to her blonde hair caught Ash's attention. Then she burst out laughing, drawing Ash's eyes back to her face. In confusion he waited for the girl to explain what was so amusing.

"New trainer, huh?" Her cloudy blue eyes took in Ash's full appearance. From his height, clothes, and then to his reddening cheeks at having been ousted so easily.

The girl wiped an imaginary tear from her eyes, and ceased her giggling. Ash at this point still had no clue what was so funny. She crossed her arms, examining him once more.

"Hm, I don't usually battle newbs, but since you gave me such a good laugh, why not?" She gave Ash a smile and he looked on wearily to rapidash. He was starting to have doubts, Bulbasaur didn't really have a chance against that thing.

"Oh, you're not battling her," the girl bent down and fondly patted the horse. "She's my prized pokemon, and frankly you don't measure up." She explained, offering Ash a sympathetic shrug.

Relief instantly went through Ash as he ignored the dig at his pride. He couldn't wait for the day Bulbasaur was strong enough that Ash could trash talk confidently. With a smile he unclipped Bulbasaur's pokeball to reveal his own prized pokemon.

The girl whistled as she took in Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur eyed the girl and her pokemon calculatingly, instantly knowing he had been called out for battle.

"I haven't seen a Bulbasaur since I first started my own journey. You must be one of the trainers that got Professor Oak for a sponsor, huh?"

"Yep, I chose Bulbasaur," Ash confirmed. He only hoped that soon Bulbasaur would choose him too.

"Well, I have a new catch that should be close to your level." She spoke reaching for her belt. Ash looked at the six pokeballs and wondered how many pokemon this girl had. She seemed like an older trainer so it wasn't far fetch for her to have more than six.

The two of them relocated to a more open space that was off the trail. Once situated Ash watched the girl enlarge her pokeball and toss it, a light releasing a plain rattata.

The purple rodent began to bob left to right while letting out a small battle cry to let its trainer know it was ready. Ash ignored Bulbasaur's growls and smirked, this battle was definitely winnable.

"You can have the first move." She announced and Ash dipped his head in thanks. His first move should probably be leech seed so he could get a feel for how fast the rat was.

"Bulbasaur, leech seed!" He bellowed and his eyebrows arched up when Bulbasaur ignored his command and ran, colliding with the rat pokemon for a nasty, sloppy, tackle.

"Quick, leech seed Bulbasaur!" Ash repeated, hoping to get this attack in before rattata recovered.

Instead, rattata got up and unlike Bulbasaur, listened to his trainers orders by following through with a quick attack. Bulbasaur lurched back and fell to the ground. With a low growl he got back up quickly. He snarled as he shook himself off and instantly he released his vines.

Why wasn't Bulbasaur listening to him?

Rattata, on the defense dodged the vines best it could but was eventually caught. Ash felt déjà vu go through him as just like Bulbasaur had done with Charmander the grass type threw the pokemon, preparing to go in for a tackle.

After the tackle was successfully completed Bulbasaur lunged at the mouse pokemon mouth wide and bit into him, blood squirting everywhere. Ash winced at hearing rattata screech out in pain but his concern was with Bulbasaur.

Bite wasn't a move set Bulbasaur was able to do. Of course he could actually execute it but it wasn't wise. Bulbasaur's teeth weren't large or pointy. The way his jaw was set up he wouldn't be able to get a strong grip anyway. Attempting an attack like bite was dangerous and could damage his teeth and jaw. The fact that his dull teeth were able to even pierce rattata's skin showed how much effort Bulbasaur had put into the attack.

He looked up to see Bulbasaur pick up rattata and collide his body with the ground. When Bulbasaur repeated the notion over and over again Ash realized he'd never seen Bulbasaur behave like this. So unrefined and without a cool head, this wasn't like Bulbasaur at all.

He looked across the battle field to see his opponent shout meaningless orders to her pokemon. Her posture screamed that she was frustrated at how the match was going. When he no longer could hear rattata's screams he looked back to the match. Bulbasaur's opponent was clearly unconscious and he was continuing to thrash him.

It was unnecessary, they had won. So why was Bulbasaur still…?

Panic soared through Ash as he realized Bulbasaur's intention here was to end his opponent's life. If he continued for even a bit longer he would succeed.

Instantly his hand went to his starter's pokeball but he was beaten to the punch. A red light engulfed rattata and Bulbasaur looked around anxiously for his prey. Ash returned Bulbasaur without a word.

How could he forget?

Bulbasaur's mother had been eaten alive by rattata in front of him. Of course Bulbasaur would hold resentment toward the species. Ash sighed at forgetting such important information so easily. He wouldn't let this happen again.

The battle had left a twisted feeling in his gut, almost as though he had drank expired milk. He spit into the grass, tasting something foul but knowing it was all in his head.

Bulbasaur almost became a murderer.

He almost let Bulbasaur murder someone's pokemon.

The girl he'd been battling slowly made her way over, her rapidash by her side. He went over apologizes in his head and readied himself to speak.

"Well, that's some blood thirsty bulbasaur you got there." She smiled, her words tickled with amusement. She reached into a pouch on her book bag and uncurled a wad of bills. She counted a few off, and handed them to him.

He didn't take them, instead looking to the girl with confusion.

"We never talked about how much we should wage but this should be enough right?" She raised an eyebrow as she pressed the money out to him.

He took the money and voiced his thoughts. "Bulbasaur almost killed your pokemon and you're not mad?"

"Yea, but he didn't." Seeing his confusion she sighed in irritation.

"Look, death happens in pokemon battles. Though I wouldn't say it happens often, so yea it's a bit rare. Whether it be by simple mistakes, loss of control…" here the girl gave him a pointed look. "…or because it just got too intense. Pokemon die in battles, it's a sad fact but it happens, and who knows it might happen to you." She offered him a sympathetic smile.

"Pokemon are going to die. As a trainer you're going to witness pokemon die, it's unavoidable. Just hope and pray you never have to witness your own die." The girl was talking from experience. She had without a doubt witnessed pokemon die. Though Ash wondered if any were her own.

He frowned as he realized he didn't know what to say. So instead he shoved the money into his pocket and slightly bowed. "I'm sorry I let things get out of control. Your rattata almost died because of me." He took full responsibility for Bulbasaur's actions. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for him.

"Rattata isn't dead, well, not yet. Hopefully nurse joy can fix him up at the center." She shrugged her shoulders without a care in the word. Ash frowned at the nonchalant behavior toward the wellbeing of her pokemon.

"Well, I gotta go," she announced. "You should work on getting in control of your bulbasaur. It's dangerous to be out here with a pokemon that doesn't listen to you. Other than that, nice battle newb." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and offered a parting wave.

Ash held his tongue as he felt the urge to correct her. Bulbasaur did listen to him, this was the first time he hasn't. Though that wasn't important right now.

Ash sighed as he watched the flames on the rapidash's back die down. The girl planted a saddle on her pokemon before hopping onto its back.

"Yaat," she commanded, her grip on her reins tightening. Rapidash took off and his view of the girl was gone.

Literally.

Rapidash were some of the fastest pokemon to exist. Ash blinked and the pair were completely out of sight. In the distance he could hear a loud squeal and laughter.

What a character, Ash thought. Her pokemon almost died and she was so numb to it.

So this is what real battles on the road were like?

It was his first battle on the road with a trainer he didn't know. It was his and Bulbasaur's first win to a stranger so why wasn't he happy?

He sighed once more, realizing he didn't even get the girl's name.

He released Bulbasaur who looked around anxiously for rattata.

"He's gone. The rattata and the trainer are gone." Ash looked for Bulbasaur's reaction to this. Bulbasaur let out a disappointed grunt but noticeably went back to normal. His body was no longer tense and his eyes no longer had such a feral look to them that they had before.

"Open your mouth," Ash commanded with a frown. He was disappointed, not at Bulbasaur but himself. Bulbasaur hesitantly obeyed, opening his mouth with a questioning stare.

Ash peered inside taking notice of the bloody gums. After explaining to Bulbasaur what he was doing as a head's up he put his hand inside, checking Bulbasaur's few teeth. Upon coming across one that wiggled he took one hard yank and it came out.

Bulbasaur shuddered from the brief pain but didn't voice complaints. "It was loose, a new one will come in shortly. No more biting in battles, okay?" he said, sitting down across from his starter.

Bulbasaur nodded.

"You won, are you happy?" Ash asked hesitantly.

Bulbasaur's growl let him know he was also disappointed with how the events of the battle played out. Though for entirely different reasons than Ash.

"Yea, well I'm not happy either, you almost killed that pokemon Bulbasaur," Ash sternly reprimanded. Bulbasaur scoffed, not at all ashamed by his actions. Clearly 'almost' wasn't good enough in his book.

Ash reeled back at his nonchalance. "Bulbasaur, have you killed before?" The question had never come to his mind until now but he realized his pokemon may have already crossed a line he couldn't take back.

"Bulba," Bulbasaur affirmed nodding his head. Ash felt a lump in his throat at the knowledge that his starter wasn't so innocent. He took a few minutes to think over everything.

He understood that sometimes pokemon died and he knew that if it was ever the life of his pokemon to another his choice would be obvious, made without a second thought. But, Ash was a firm believer that life was precious and if it could be saved or avoided then that's what should be done. Ash didn't think the thought of other pokemon killing each other bothered him, but Bulbasaur doing it did.

Killing for vengeance didn't sit well with him.

"Bulbasaur, don't ever kill a rattata in my presence if it isn't a threat." He stood up not waiting for Bulbasaur's response.

"Let's go," Ash gently ordered.

When they passed a sign that read, 'Viridian City, fifteen minutes' Ash rejoiced. All he wanted was to get to the pokemon center and relax.

He kicked a plain black rock in his path unnecessarily hard. Wait, was he pouting? He knew he would be picky about which pokemon he would catch but this was ridiculous! He hasn't even seen a bird pokemon with potential.

That wasn't the only thing he was pouting about. He just found out his very first pokemon was a killing machine whenever he caught sight of a rattata.

"I'm sorry." Ash looked up upon hearing the quiet silvery voice. Standing in front of them blocking their path was a meowth. It was standing on two legs and its fur appeared matted and dirty.

What the hell? Meowth weren't common around here at all and this one was strange. He frantically glanced at Bulbasaur who began to snarl uncontrollably. Bulbasaur saw this pokemon as a threat. His starter didn't even notice it till it showed itself!

Where did the voice come from anyway? He began looking around but saw no signs of anyone else. Bulbasaur batted the ground with his claws, preparing to fight.

"I'm so sorry," the meowth spoke. Before his mind had time to comprehend the situation the cat moved. Bulbasaur met the pokemon head on and it became a battle of speed.

The meowth matched Bulbasaur's speed.

No, it was faster!

He winced as Bulbasaur was hit with a particularly nasty scratch. When Bulbasaur was hit again and again without being able to land a hit Ash started to panic. Bulbasaur couldn't even properly defend itself.

What should he do?

"It's too fast, keep it at a distance with vine whip!" Bulbasaur tried and failed to keep the meowth away. It just expertly weaseled its way up, hitting him with its glowing tail. The force from the iron tail threw Bulbasaur into the bark of a nearby tree.

"Leech seed then!" Once again he watched as the feline dodged his starter's moves with wicked expertise. It didn't move on all fours, but by its two legs, and comfortably if it's familiar ease was an indicator to go by. It was strange, something Ash never seen before.

Seeing how the meowth liked to attack up close and personal Ash still had one more trick up his sleeve.

NOW!

When the Meowth got into Bulbasaur's personal bubble and delivered another ruthless scratch to his starters face Ash shouted an order. "Poison powder! Quick!"

Bulbasaur was slow to react but he was still able to get the poison to come out from his bulb. As fast as meowth was, it wasn't fast enough to stop some of the poison residue from sticking to himself.

The feline retreated a far distance from Bulbasaur. It got down on one knee and coughed as it tried to remove the substance from its fur. Then, it stood up and regarded Bulbasaur curiously.

It was being hesitant.

For the first time in this attack the meowth was being cautious when it previously had attacked head on, no sign at stopping in sight.

 _That's right, we won't go down quietly._

When Meowth was moving, it was like a blur so Ash took advantage of the meowth's pause in actions to finally observe it.

It was peculiar.

It stood crouched down low as if it'd pounce any second, firmly on its hind legs. Its front limbs were cradled toward its chest, its claws out, no doubt ready to rip anything that came too close to shreds.

A deep scowl marred its features and coupled with its dirty fur and narrow, slit eyes, it had a feral look to it.

Ash had seen many meowth's in his time, most of which were domestic, yet they didn't possess such human qualities like this one. Most bizarre of all, this meowth talked.

Or did it? Right now Ash no clue what he believed. He knew what he saw though, not to mention what he heard. If that meowth didn't talk then there better be some kind of explanation behind why he thought it did.

Suddenly meowth snarled, showing off two lone fangs. Intimidated, Ash took a step back and in sync the meowth opened its maw large and wide.

What was it doing?

Ash's eyes widened in realization and instinctively his palms went to his ears. Not even a second later a blood curdling noise soon reached his ears. Ash closed one eye as he tried to fight off the headache he could feel coming.

His opened eye moved to see how his starter was handling the screech. Bulbasaur was obviously in discomfort but Ash wasn't too worried, the saurian's body was more equipped to handle these things compared to Ash's fragile one.

Slowly, meowth closed its mouth, and was on the move again.

The meowth began to stalk up toward Bulbasaur at a steady pace. Ash narrowed his eyes. "Be careful Bulbasaur," he warned.

The slow pace turned to a jog and then to a full out sprint. Ash watched carefully as Meowth made his way up to Bulbasaur's left side.

Then he blinked in confusion when the rogue meowth disappeared.

When Meowth reappeared he was behind his starter, delivering another iron tail, surprising both trainer and pokemon.

Though, they both reacted quickly. Bulbasaur was on his feet in a jiffy, and Ash immediately shouted an order.

That move, if his instincts were right then that move had been a feint attack. How strong was this wild pokemon?

"Quick, leech seed!" He bit his lip in anticipation and only released it from his flesh's hold when Bulbasaur hit his mark.

The meowth whimpered in pain when the force from the seed hit it and then trapped it with its vines. It instantly whipped out its claws to get started in trying to free itself.

"Now, tackle!" He commanded once he felt his heart rate begin to calm.

Meowth released itself but not in time to see the oncoming attack. With a sickening crunch, Bulbasaur's heavier body collided with Meowth's much lighter one.

It hollered pitifully as its body came in contact with the ground.

Then it stood back up, making Ash's eyebrows rise. Shouldn't poison powder start taking affect now? Meowth wasn't really showing any signs of being pois-

He spoke too soon.

With hazy, unfocused eyes Meowth shakily began to make its way over to Bulbasaur. Then it staggered, and fell onto one knee. After a few seconds it got back up and clenched its fist.

"Bulbasaur, vine whip," Ash said in one breath. His eyebrows knitted together and he just hoped the thing would stay down. At this point he didn't want to hurt it anymore, despite the fact that it had attacked them.

Each time Meowth attempted to get up Bulbasaur forcefully put it back down with one single whip.

But it wouldn't stay down.

Ash was frozen as he watched the determination on the pokemon's face.

What did this pokemon want with them? Why wouldn't it give up?

THUD!

Ash finally sighed in relief when Meowth fell and stayed down. Bulbasaur made his way over to him and looked up at him with tired ruby eyes.

"He was strong, huh?" Ash directed to his starter.

A scoff was his only response.

"You had me nervous for a second there." Bulbasaur looked at him with a clearly offended face.

"I mean, of course I knew you'd win," he quickly corrected as he moved a hand through his hair.

"Bulba," Bulbasaur responded with a firm nod, walking away from the scene.

Ash took one look toward Bulbasaur then back at the bloody frail body of Meowth. Leaving the pokemon here just didn't seem right. It just looked so vulnerable.

Ash made his way over to Meowth's limp body. He crouched down and eyed it curiously. It was just so small, why would it attack them?

He reached out hesitantly to touch the feline but froze when Meowth's eyes snapped open, making him fall onto his butt.

Ash clenched his teeth, painfully aware of the meowth's claws digging into his skin. The thing was just too dang fast! He hopelessly tried to pry it off, momentarily distracted by the blood dripping down his arms.

"Bulbasaur!" He shouted out urgently.

Immediately Meowth's body was pulled off of him by two vines.

What was wrong with him!? Never in his life had he ever made such a stupid mistake like approaching a wild pokemon. Whether he thought they were unconscious or not was irrelevant. He had always steered clear until now. He couldn't explain, his interest was peaked when it came to this Meowth, he just wanted a closer look.

Ash took a second to inspect the three long jagged scrapes going down his left arm made by Meowth's sharp claws. Meowth had grabbed his right shoulder with one paw and dragged downward on his left arm with his other. Ash craned his neck to take a look at the three puncture like holes on his right shoulder.

Unknowingly to him, Bulbasaur was eyeing him with concern.

He took a deep breath to distract himself from the pain. Man, Meowth certainly had done a number on him. More cautiously than before, he made his way back over to the meowth and eyed it curiously. Meowth's eyes were open and unfocused, as evidence of the poison and trying to fight back the unconsciousness that was no doubt trying to lure it to sleep.

Despite the slight grudge he had against the pokemon for attacking him, Ash was impressed with it. This was the first pokemon he's come across during his journey to gain his attention. He was just surprised that it was a meowth of all things. He never had much interest in the species.

Though, this one was special he decided as he looked toward its frail body still fighting to stay awake. Really, a talking pokemon?

"S-Sorry." Ash eyebrows lifted at the sound of Meowth's voice. Against his better judgement he leaned into its body so that he could make out its words.

"Sorry." He looked down into the face of Meowth, its eyes were now shut and its fur was a mix of brown and red. For the first time in his life he witnessed a pokemon cry.

Ash stood up on his two legs, hissing at the pain from Meowth's claws. Despite that though, he had made up his mind.

He wanted this pokemon.

"Bulbasaur, I'm going to catch him okay?" Ash ignored Bulbasaur's 'why would you do that' look and focused back on Meowth.

He reached onto his belt that held five empty pokeballs and Bulbasaur's. Grasping an empty one he gently tossed it, just like he practiced hundreds of times, and it collided with Meowth's body-

-only to be rejected and bouncing back into his hand. He looked to the pokeball curiously and then back to Meowth.

"You're owned?" He asked dumbly. He felt rejected and honestly quite irritated at the fact.

Roughly, he placed the poke ball back onto his belt and began to gather his belongings that he had dropped when the attack started. He wasn't mad at the meowth for attacking him and Bulbasaur.

If anything he was mad at himself for getting his hopes up. He had really wanted Meowth.

He sighed in acceptance of the situation, it just wasn't meant to be.

Then he looked to Meowth's unconscious body and a frown overcame him. Where was this pokemon's owner? You would think that since it talked and walked like people it would be precious to someone but its appearance said otherwise. Just from looking Ash could see how underweight it was, and he had a feeling that under all the grime, dirt, and blood that Meowth's coat wasn't shinning like it should be.

Really, he wanted to give Meowth's owner a piece of his mind.

Then, there was another problem.

If he left Meowth here, it would die.

"Were taking him with us," he instructed to Bulbasaur who lifted an imaginary eyebrow. Then that amused expression of Bulbasaur's went to concern when Ash let out a pained noise from lifting the cat.

Ash gave Bulbasaur a strained smile, "No worries, he's pretty light."

He wasn't lying to Bulbasaur, Meowth was even lighter than it looked. Now in close proximity he took a closer look. He gently gripped one of the pokemon's paws and almost tsked aloud at what he saw. Its claws were uneven and unnaturally long.

Even wild Meowth took good care of themselves. The meowth line was known to spend hours upon hours grooming themselves. Hygiene was extremely important to the feline species. No meowth, domestic or not would allow their fur to get to such a tangled, matted mess. It was simply disgraceful to such a prideful cat. Not to mention their claws, at this length they became more brittle and could be painful with how long they were.

This meowth wasn't taking care of itself, but why?

After that they left, and at a brisk jog, Ash lead them in the direction of the city. He was in a rush to get the cat medical attention, but he also just wanted a shower and to finally be in civilization.

The pokemon center was large and easy to find in the city. He was just thankful he didn't get lost. The closer he got the larger and brighter the building became.

He took the stairs two at a time and calmly walked through the doors. By this time it was dark outside so he was momentarily blinded by the lights. He ignored all the looks he got and made his way to the help desk to hold up Meowth.

"Nurse Joy," He spoke to get her attention. "Earlier this meowth attacked me and my pokemon. I attempted to capture him but he has an owner. I got here as fast as I could but I'm not really sure how bad his condition is," he answered honestly.

Meowth had been poisoned and then he had been hit none too gently by Bulbasaur's vines countless times for not staying down. Being underweight, Meowth didn't even appear to be a healthy pokemon so who knew how well his body was taking this. Not to mention he couldn't even have his statist paused while he was in the safety of a poke ball.

She took in the sight of the bloody, dirty cat, and sighed.

"What is the nature of its injuries?" Waiting for a response she shouted over her shoulder, "Chansey, I need a small stretcher!"

"Um, it was a standard battle but he did inhale quite a bit of poison," Ash explained. Nurse Joy nodded and began furiously typing on a computer. Seconds later a chansey rushed out of the back pushing a small stretcher. The pink pokemon wobbled over to him, carefully took Meowth from his arms and placed him on the stretcher. She was gone as quickly as she came.

"Okay, I'm going to go see what's going on with that meowth!" She explained quickly as she put on gloves.

Standing there in the middle of the lobby now he didn't know what to do. He looked to Bulbasaur beside him, eyeing the place with displeasure.

Bulbasaur really didn't like people much.

He made his way to the waiting area, suddenly very aware of the strange looks he was getting. This place was actually pretty crowded and loud. Geez, because of his shredded shirt and the dry blood on his arms he must be quite a sight.

Ten minutes later someone appeared at the desk. Ash hopped up, and walked over with Bulbasaur who followed at a lazy pace. Ash mentally reminded himself to get Bulbasaur a check up as well.

Ash immediately spoke to Nurse Joy's replacement once in ear shot of the desk.

"Hi, um, earlier I was scratched pretty bad by a pokemon." He faced his arm in her direction so she could get a better look at it.

"Oh my gosh! Follow me, follow me!" She made her way around the counter and walked in the direction of the human care unit. To distract himself from the pain he examined the woman as he followed her. She was very short and her movements were quirky. She walked with a skip to her step and hummed a bit.

"Here we are." She singed as she opened up the door for him and held out her hand in a way that said 'tadah'.

"Sit right here." She said as she guided him to a chair. "A doctor will be with you shortly," and she pranced out of the room.

Eventually, a woman in a white coat, holding a clip board walked into the room. Upon seeing Bulbasaur she offered a small smile then directed her attention to Ash.

"Hello, I'm going to be your doctor for the evening. You can refer to me as Mrs. Sky."

Ash forced a smile. He just wanted to get this over with so he could go to bed.

 **ooo**

When he left he was quite irritated. He had to get stitches because he refused potions. Call him a coward or whatever you wanted but he refused to try the stuff. He's heard all about how they hurt like hell. He just wasn't in the mood for that kind of pain today. Not that the stitches had been a breeze.

Maybe he should have just went with the potion after all?

He went back to the help desk so that he could schedule a checkup for Bulbasaur tomorrow. It was just too late at this point and he wanted to go to bed.

"Hello Nurse Joy," he said upon walking up to her. Since she was out here he hoped that the meowth situation was all handled. She looked up from her paperwork, took a look at him and looked back down. Then she snapped her head back up in realization.

"Oh, it's you. What do you need?" She asked with an uncharacteristic scowl on her face. Didn't Nurse Joys have a reputation for being super friendly?

Ash, taken aback by her forwardness responded. "Well, I was hoping to schedule an early checkup in the morning for my pokemon...oh and to get a room."

Silence.

"Please," he quickly added.

Nurse Joy offered him a sweet smile that appeared forced. "How's 9:30 for you?" She bended down and he heard some rustling.

"That sounds good," he answered immediately.

"Good, cause that's all we got anyway." She grumbled, as she grabbed his hand and dropped a key card into it.

"Room three hundred and two, it's on the third floor. Can I see your pokedex?" She arched an eyebrow as she waited for him to hand it over. When he did she typed some information onto the computer and once done breathed out irritably, handing the pokedex back to him.

He figured she was getting his sponsor information as proof of payment for the stay and the medical attention Bulbasaur would be receiving in the morning. The league payed for the medical attention for trainers and pokemon that were sponsored. Though when it came to housing and lodging, that was handled with your sponsor.

Professor Oak had went over with the children how many times he would cover their stays in pokemon centers. Ash, who knew he wouldn't elect to stay at hotels or pokemon centers often, admittedly hadn't paid much attention.

"Anything else?" She already had brought her attention back to her paperwork, not sparring him another glance.

Ash answered hesitantly. "Yes actually, I was hoping you could give me an update on the meowth?" He knew that once he handed the meowth over and what with it being owned and everything the situation wasn't his business anymore. Though, that didn't stop the part of him that wanted to know the pokemon was okay.

"The meowth is owned, so that's private information. If that's all then have a good night." She responded without looking at him once.

He didn't move an inch.

"Look kid…" She dropped her pen and looked up with an irritable sigh, but upon seeing him her face lightened a bit.

"He's malnourished, underweight, and the poison affected him bad but he will be just fine. Being owned you would think he would be in better shape but some people are just complete idiots who shouldn't own pokemon." Her tone quickly turned deadly, "I swear, as soon as that owner shows his face I'm going to-" Then she stopped abruptly as if realizing who she was talking to.

She coughed once, awkwardly. "That's all I can tell you."

Ash smiled, relieved, "Thank you Nurse Joy."

He gripped the key card in his hand and made to find his room. Sure, Nurse Joy wasn't the friendliest of people but it was evident she loved pokemon. So, that made her perfect for this job.

"Big day, huh?" Ash directed to Bulbasaur once they got into the elevator. He pushed the button for the third floor and waited for the doors to close.

"Saur," Bulbasaur hummed in agreement. Judging from the tiredness in his tone, Bulbasaur couldn't wait to get to sleep. For the sake of conversation Ash asked another question plaguing his mind.

"So, have you decided if I passed your trial run yet?" Ash laughed at how ridiculous it sounded.

Bulbasaur uncertainly looked off into space. "Bulba bulba," he spoke, which told Ash Bulbasaur hadn't decided yet.

He wasn't surprised by the answer. Earlier he had been really upset to learn that meowth wasn't a wild pokemon. He was so eager to gain another pokemon when his priority should be on the one he already had. With that in mind he chose his next words carefully.

"That's okay. Take your time because until you're officially my first pokemon I won't catch anyone else," he promised. He was taking a risk, and hoped he didn't run into any pokemon he really wanted before Bulbasaur accepted him.

 **ooo**

"So just one bulbasaur, eh?" Nurse Joy asked as she held out a tray for Ash to place his lone pokeball. He nodded and once he placed Bulbasaur's pokeball into the slot Nurse Joy disappeared for a few minutes before returning.

She raised one single eyebrow at him. "You know, I don't get to see many bulbasaur since they're rare and sure as hell don't live around here."

"Yea, he's special alright," Ash agreed. He stood there uneasily. There was something he wanted to ask and yet he wasn't ready to be shot down by Nurse Joy.

"Aaaahh." Nurse Joy stretched her arms out wide and then brought her hand to her mouth for a yawn.

"It's way too early for this," she grumbled as she plopped down in a chair.

An amused smile snaked its way up his face, before being wiped off at seeing Nurse Joy's glare.

"With the release date of the league competition being announced early June I've had to sign up a lot of trainers. Everyone has officially started their training, which means a lot of trainers came by to get checkups, either that or they pushed their poor pokemon too hard during training," she explained.

"Sounds busy," Ash commented.

She stood up dramatically. "No kidding! I've been working overtime every day this week! It's been awful."

"Well, no one can do this job better than you, right?"

A cocky smile covered her face and her eyes twinkled amusedly. She took one measuring glance at him before leaning over her desk to nudge him closer.

"You're from Pallet Town, right?" Ash frowned a second at wondering how she could possibly know that before he remembered he handed over his pokedex. It was his identity, so it practically told her his life story.

In response he nodded.

"Have you heard about that nasty flock of spearow?" Nurse Joy's eyes were wide as if she was about to share some of the biggest news he's ever heard.

He shook his head no.

"Really? Well, last night this boy came rushing in with his pokemon because he got attacked by them! Kind of like how you did with that meowth, but they were so much more dramatic!" She rolled her eyes in remembrance before giggling.

"Anyway, his pikachu and he were attacked by the flock, barely getting away! It was luck they survived matter of fact. That pikachu had some serious injuries, making it a long night for me." At this point she frowned, before her eyes darted back to him.

"Honestly, he was a sweet kid but not the brightest. Everyone knows not to mess with a spearow." She shrugged her shoulders.

Ash nodded in agreement. Spearow were some nasty pokemon, and where there was one, the rest always followed ready to pick a fight.

"So is the kid's pikachu okay?"

Two blue eyes held him down in a glare. "Of course it's going to be okay! It was me who personally worked on him after all." She sat in her seat in a huff, apparently offended.

"Anyway, I called the league and complained and they said they would be able to get someone down here in a few days. But they better hurry because the flock is moving. In the meantime it could attack someone else." She stood and began to walk over to her computer to type away.

Ash just stood there.

"If you want to wait for your bulbasaur there's a waiting area right over there." She said without looking up from her computer. Ash followed her finger to the waiting area. It was mostly empty except for a few trainers.

"Actually, I wanted to ask for a favor." Ash stood proud, and steered his gaze, ready to argue with the nurse.

"A favor?" She scoffed, but upon seeing the boy was serious, stopped. She raised an eyebrow to tell him to spit it out.

"Could I see Meowth? Plea-"

"No," came her firm answer.

"Please Nurse Joy, please!" He whined, placing his palms together in classic pleading motion.

"Just five minutes, come on!" He argued, sensing the nurse's irritation begin to rise.

"I said no! It's a direct violation of our policy, do you realize how much _trouble_ I could get in?" She snapped at him with a frown.

Ash returned her frown, and blinked confused. "But, I thought you were the boss?"

Nurse Joy paused. "I am the boss."

"Then, why not?" He retaliated with a raise of his eyebrows. He realized he was starting to understand the prideful nurse and what made her tick.

"Well, because…"

"It's your hospital, so you can do whatever you want, right?" Ash forced a confused expression on his face as he tilted his head.

"I sure as hell can!" She put her hands on her hips and nodded her head vigorously.

"Then can I please see Meowth? I'll do whatever you want! I promise!" He offered Nurse Joy the biggest puppy dog look he could muster.

Five minutes later he was walking down a corridor with a huge triumphant smile on his face. In front of him, Nurse Joy led the way.

"We could get sued," she muttered to herself.

Ash listened closely to Nurse Joy who appeared to be having doubts.

"If the owner of the meowth found out they could sue the hospital and we'd lose so much money!" She announced dramatically.

Nurse Joy put both hands on the sides of her head and began to shake her head no. "Our flawless reputation I worked so hard for would go down the toilet and I would," She paused to gasp, "I would be fired!"

Ash suddenly frowned. The last thing he needed was Nurse Joy changing her mind. He knew one good push would do the trick with her.

"They can't fire you." He reminded her, hoping it would soothe her nerves.

"They can't?"

"Mhm, because your Nurse Joy." Ash said as if that answered everything. He didn't know if Nurse Joy could really be fired or not, but what he did know was that she was an irreplaceable asset to this hospital. The fact that she'd been stationed here, in a major city, was a testament to how valued she was. He wasn't in the slightest bit familiar with politics and how the itty bitty details on these things worked, but he would hope something this small wouldn't get Nurse Joy fired.

After all, the last thing he wanted was Nurse Joy to get in trouble because of him.

Nurse Joy smirked, the cocky look he was used to right back on her face. "You're right, they wouldn't dare!"

They finally arrived to a door.

"Only fifteen minutes and then you're out of there! Word of advice, the cat's drugged so it's no threat to you. I'll be down the hall."

He nodded his thanks to Nurse Joy and went straight in. The room was small, with four evenly sized walls. There was a single tiny bed, perfect for Meowth's size. Other than the bed, a chair, and a couple of cabinets, the room was empty.

It was just like any standard room for a pokemon in a center.

Meowth was up and eyed him with distrust. When he sat in the chair by the bed the cat hissed at him. He looked at the pokemon curiously; its coat was no longer matted with blood and dirt but a pearly white.

"Remember me?" He smiled as Meowth narrowed its eyes. "You kind of attacked me and my Bulbasaur and scratched up my arm good," he said pointing to it. Meowth's eyes widened with recognition and it looked away.

"Don't worry about it, you certainly apologized for it." He leaned in a little closer and whispered, "I know you can talk."

The cat began to panic as if that sentence just sealed its fate.

"Calm down, I won't tell, promise!" He held the Meowth down before it could hurt itself. Seeing the cat begin to calm he continued, "I just want to talk to you." Meowth eyed him skeptically but let him continue.

"You're a really strong meowth you know that?" Meowth just blinked. He sweat dropped, and wondered where he was trying to go with this conversation. "Well, my name is Ash Ketchum, as of three days ago I'm a trainer." He stuck out his hand and lowered it upon realizing Meowth wouldn't shake it.

"Ash." Meowth's coarse voice repeated. So he wasn't crazy after all! He had stumbled into a talking Meowth!

He nodded his head excitedly "So cool! Can you say it again please?"

"Ash." For some reason the cat decided to humor him.

"Tell me about yourself," Ash encouraged.

The cat pointed to itself and said slowly, "I am Meowth," and stopped right there.

"That's all you can tell me?" The cat nodded.

"Well I guess I'll tell you about me then. You already know my name so how about my hobbies? I like learning and meeting new pokemon. Especially interesting ones like you." Meowth looked away bashfully. "My favorite color is green and my favorite foods are ramen, hamburger and onigiri."

In that moment two stomachs simultaneously grumbled. He laughed and eyed the emotionless meowth. "You can laugh you know?" Meowth just stared.

"Oh, and my dream. It's to become the strongest in the world!"

"S-S-Strongest?" Meowth questioned.

"Yes, become the strongest with my pokemon. A true pokemon master."

He continued to talk with Meowth until his time was up.

Over the next few days he was able to keep convincing Nurse Joy to let him see Meowth. Really, Nurse Joy was seeming to be quite a push over.

On the fourth day after he was done talking to Meowth he quickly found himself annoyed. He was jealous of whoever owned Meowth. Really, Meowth was such a special pokemon and they weren't even treating him right! Not to mention they hadn't even come to get him yet.

Why weren't they looking for him?

"Hey Meowth can I ask you a question?" He asked. Meowth looked at him curiously and chirped out a yes. It was the sixth day he was talking to the cat pokemon and he was growing quite fond of Meowth.

Meowth was on the timid side, but the more time the boy spent with him, the more open he became.

"Well, I was wondering what you were doing that day you attacked Bulbasaur and me." Ash quickly glanced at his seed pokemon who sat in a corner snoozing. He had introduced the two on his third visit to see Meowth. The entire time, Bulbasaur had stood on guard, crimson eyes glaring at the cat with distrust. It was only halfway through the fourth visit did Bulbasaur settle down.

While the two pokemon weren't the best of friends, in some strange way Ash liked to think Meowth had earned Bulbasaur's respect. Either that or Bulbasaur just didn't regard him as a threat anymore.

"No." Meowth spoke simply. The cat still wouldn't use complete sentences with him, or he was simply unable to? Meowth was a bit bashful and shy, completely unlike his persona when he attacked Bulbasaur and him.

"What do you mean no? No, you won't tell me?"

"I can't," Meowth tried to explain.

"Why not?" he pressed, but Meowth would talk no more.

"Does this have something to do with your trainer?" He asked suspiciously. Meowth just looked away and silence came over the room. He hadn't brought up the attack after the first day. It was clearly something Meowth regretted and agonized over.

"Well, can you tell me anything about your trainer? Are you happy with them?" Meowth averted his gaze and silence overcame the room.

"Shiny." Meowth's eyes widened and glued to his pocket.

"Huh? What's shiny?" From the way he was sitting some of the coins in his pocket were poking out. He held up one to the meowth but the cat shook its head.

"That one." Ash took out his silver marble. It was his favorite but seeing the look on Meowth's face made him hand it over. The cat hugged the marble preciously, holding it with care. He decided to try again.

"Did your trainer know where you were?"

"Yes." Was Meowth's simple answer.

So Meowth's owner knew it was out and about. Was it possible that Meowth's owner knew it attacked him? While Meowth was distracted with playing with his marble he worded his next question carefully.

"Did you have to attack us for some reason?"

"Yes." Came Meowth's distracted answer. For a second Ash halted the next question at the tip of his tongue. He smiled as he watched Meowth giggle and lick the marble. Then, Meowth peeled away from it and made a humorous expression at how nasty it tasted.

Ash rested his chin on his palm. "Are you going to get in trouble with your trainer for attacking us?"

Meowth paused and then titled his head in confusion as if not understanding why he would get in trouble. "No, meowth was told to."

Something clicked within Ash and he asked his next question hesitantly. "Meowth, did your trainer tell you to attack Bulbasaur and me?"

Meowth froze, as if realizing he had made some kind of mistake. "N-No." Ash frowned, seeing as he hadn't heard Meowth stutter in a while. It only happened when the cat was incredibly nervous about something.

He took in Meowth's down casted eyes and the marble he had abandoned playing with. Ash knew without a doubt that Meowth was lying, but why?

Why would a trainer tell their pokemon to attack him? It just didn't make sense to Ash.

There was suddenly a knock at the door.

"Did your trainer tell you to hurt me? Was that what they wanted?!" He tried his best to get Meowth to look at him but the cat wouldn't pick his head up.

"I can't." Meowth finally looked up. The cat's face was set in a determined pout of sorts, but he seemed to be staring at something. Ash followed his gaze to…Bulbasaur?

What would Meowth's owner want with Bulbasaur?

"Bulbasaur?" Ash spoke aloud, unintentionally wakening his starter pokemon. He looked away from Bulbasaur then back to Meowth.

Another knock at the door, louder this time ringed in his ears.

"Meowth you can trust me you know. You can tell me anything!" He grabbed Meowth's shoulders gently and looked into his eyes with urgency. He needed the cat to understand he could trust him.

Meowth shook his head and picked the marble back up to stare at.

Another loud knock, and Nurse Joy's voice had him on his feet.

"You deserve a trainer who wouldn't make you do things you don't want to, Meowth." He sternly looked into Meowth's face, who looked away shamefully. Then feeling a bit guilty he leaned over and shuffled the tuff of fur on the cat's head.

"Keep the marble." He smiled at Meowth's embarrassed face.

When he walked out the room two nurse assistants and a chansey walked in. He supposed to check up on Meowth.

"That was way over fifteen minutes just so you know!" Nurse Joy said.

"Thank you," he mumbled. He was disappointed that he didn't get all he wanted out of the cat, but he hoped to get more out of him tomorrow.

Though the next day, Meowth's bed was empty, and only a single shiny marble remained.

ooo

A/N: Twenty thousand words and fifty one pages! Whew, I'm tired! Ever since I decided to start this story over I've been agonizing over the tiny details and this is why it's taken so long. I'm finally satisfied with the final product and I hope you guys are too!

Feel free to ask questions in the review, without spoiling I will be answering every single one. If you're a guest review I will simply reply to you in the next chapter which will be soon (hopefully.)

Tell me what I can improve on, and if possible point out any grammar mistakes you see. Or, if you don't know what to review, simply me what your favorite kanto pokemon is and why you think Ash should get it. You never know, if your convincing enough it could sway my opinion since Ash's team isn't set in stone yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

 **So, read and review. I hope you enjoy.**

 **ooo**

"He's gone?" Ash asked in disbelief while his large brown eyes looked to Nurse Joy with confusion. What did she mean by that? He already had his excuse ready on why the feisty nurse should let him see the cat.

Saying his excuse, arguing with Nurse Joy before she finally gave in, and then going to see shy Meowth. It was a daily ritual he's grown fond of the past six days. Though now, to his utter horror, the nurse casually mentioned that the cat was discharged, breaking the comfortable routine he'd fallen into.

"Yep! Left last night, his owners _finally_ came." Nurse Joy's voice sounded relieved as if the entire situation was a pain that she was over and done with. The nurse continued to look at her clipboard, not sparring him a glance.

Ash didn't even know what to say to that. His eyebrows furrowed together as he tried to comprehend that this wasn't a joke. That Meowth was in fact, gone. That didn't sit well with him at all.

"B-but I didn't get to say goodbye," he replied quietly. His shoulders slumped in defeat and it finally sank in that he would never see Meowth again. The adorable little cat that he's grown fond of in such a short time.

Nurse Joy caught on immediately. She looked up and offered him a small sympathetic smile. "I told you not to get attached. I should have never allowed those little visits," she muttered to herself.

"I know, I know. I hadn't been planning on it, it just kind of happened," he explained. He grabbed a fist full of hair in frustration. He hadn't heeded her advice. In the moment he had brushed it off, not thinking separating with the cat would ever pose as a problem. Nurse Joy had warned him not to get attached. After all Meowth wasn't a wild pokemon. He guessed even she could see how much he liked the furry pokemon.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to say goodbye Ash."

Ash nodded upon realizing Nurse Joy's words were genuine. He was sad he would never see Meowth again. He was frustrated because he didn't get to say goodbye. He was confused because he still had so many unanswered questions.

Though what bothered him most was that he was uneasy because he never got to see Meowth's trainer. He recalled the cat's lacking health when he first met him. How would he know if Meowth's owner was capable of taking care of him? He never got to see for himself that they cherished and treated him well. How could he move on from the situation when he didn't even know for sure if Meowth was in good hands?

Something about the cat whenever he had brought up his owner bothered him. Meowth always seemed tense, and unwilling to discuss them. He looked up in search of answers from the pink haired nurse.

"What about his trainer?" He wasn't specific, hoping she would fill him in with as much information as possible.

Nurse Joy piped up at that. "Don't even get me started! They were some strange people I'll tell you, but don't worry! I spent a very long time giving them an earful about how to properly take care of their pokemon!"

Nurse Joy paused to take a breath, and he chose that moment to interrupt. "Wait, them? Meowth has two trainers?" He leaned into the counter getting closer to the nurse to hear her next words.

"Oh. Yea, a man and a woman though they certainly didn't give off the impression that they were trainers. They have a home here in Viridian, where they live together apparently." The nurse rolled her eyes and waved off the unimportant information. Then her eyes lit up and Ash swore he saw fire in her blue irises. "That woman though! The nerve of her sassing me…I had right a mind to report her and her husband for pokemon abuse! She better be thankful her husband apologize profusely and I didn't feel like dealing with all that paperwork. It was after all their first warning."

Ash, getting pulled in by Nurse Joys personality found himself smiling a bit. "So they were good people?"

He needed to know. His peace of mind demanded it. Especially since his last conversation with the cat left him with so many suspicions.

"They were okay I guess. The husband was nice enough, so much that it made up for his horrible wife. Honestly, I feel sorry for the guy. I mean you should have seen her hair, it was _hideous_." Nurse Joy stuck out her tongue, and pointed to it while making a gagging noise.

Ash smiled and weight was finally lifted from his shoulders. "It couldn't be that bad," he argued.

Nurse Joy raised an eyebrow. "Yes it was. Picture this. Bright red hair this big, sticking up. Ash, it was defying gravity." Nurse Joy set down her clipboard to demonstrate just how bizarre the hairstyle actually looked.

Ash did just that. He imagined the hairstyle, and a tiny chuckle escaped him. Nurse Joy smiled, picked the clipboard back up, and offered final words on the subject. "She must spend a fortune on hair spray."

Well, now that Meowth was gone he was at a loss on how to spend his morning. The past several days had been faithfully dedicated to hanging out with the cat and getting to know him. Afternoons and evenings had been used for training sessions with Bulbasaur.

With Meowth gone, other than staying to train, Viridian had nothing to offer him. It wasn't that he had been using Meowth as a reason to stay. At least that was what he told himself. Though now with the cat gone it finally dawned on him how far behind he was from the other trainers that started in Pallet.

Knowing them they already went through Viridian Forest and were currently in Pewter. At this point Gary probably had his victory speech put together and was preparing to face Brock. Unless of course he elected to spend more time on training his squirtle.

Though he was different. Gary, with a water type had a huge advantage over him. Not to mention the probability that Gary had caught other pokemon at this point.

At least Ash wasn't at a type disadvantage. Bulbasaur had a few moves that would work well against rock types. No, those were the least of his concerns.

So right now he had two problems.

With the way things were looking for him right now he wouldn't be catching another pokemon anytime soon. Which was a problem because if he wanted to face Pewter gym then he needed at least two pokemon. Right now he only had a starter…who wasn't really officially his yet.

That led him to the next problem. Of the sixteen gyms that resided in Kanto, Pewter was reputed to be one of the stronger ones. Gyms were unofficially ranked amongst trainers, Pewter taking a humble spot at number six. It was quite impressive, especially since Brock was the youngest gym leader in Kanto.

As a rookie trainer he would only be facing league registered teams. The difficulty of the next gym going up for each badge he earned. It was a weight lifted off his shoulders and certainly a rightfully earned handicap. The purpose behind the league registered teams was to not discourage young and newly minted trainers. After all, it's after their first year of being a registered trainer that most give up.

Not that league registered teams were a joke. He couldn't honestly expect to waltz into Brock's gym where the gym leader has been training his league team for years, and expect to win with a pokemon he's had for a week. It certainly didn't make much of a difference that he had a type advantage.

And he wasn't going for the pity badge! No cleaning gyms. No, "I think you deserve the badge anyway". He was going for an undisputed hard fought and earned win.

That was how he decided he would win each and every one of his badges.

That meant he had to be prepared to train long and hard before he would feel comfortable challenging Brock. He had about a year to gather eight gym badges. That was plenty of time. So, there was no rush to get to Pewter.

But there was a rush to train.

Like he mentioned earlier he needed at least two pokemon to challenge Brock. Judging from his location and the available pokemon around Pewter and Viridian there wasn't a good chance that'd he'd be so lucky to find a pokemon he liked and had an advantage over rock.

In fact it was very likely they would have a disadvantage to rock. So what did that mean? He needed to train that pokemon hard and thoroughly. Which in turn meant he needed to find said pokemon soon to begin.

When the line began to form behind him he moved to stand to the side of the help desk. He turned to look down at the pokemon standing irritably by his feet. Confused by Bulbasaur's tenseness, Ash took a quick glance around, immediately noticing the increasing amount of people in the lobby. When they first came down it had been near empty, and now as the clock struck ten, there were many people bustling about.

Bulbasaur barely tolerated him. The grass type hated people but what he hated even more were crowds. He was a lover of silence and space. Ash fiddled with the pokeball on his belt for a moment as he debated returning the grass type.

"Bulba," Bulbasaur shook his head defiantly. Ash's eyes widened in surprise before he schooled his features. Any other time Bulbasaur would be tugging on the pokeball, not being able to get in soon enough.

Yea, he hoped his starter accepted him soon. Because he really needed to get started on catching and training his second pokemon. His goal was to challenge Brock by the end of the month, and now, he didn't know if that was a realistic goal or not.

"Bulbasaur," he called quietly to his side. Lately his pokemon was being extremely prideful and unwilling to let his discomfort show. Ash acknowledged the effort and would take pity on him.

"Want to get a head start on training? I really think we can get sleep powder down today." There, he had offered the grass type an out. A means of escaping the extremely uncomfortable situation he was in.

Bulbasaur's crimson eyes took in his surroundings for just a moment. Slowly, he nodded.

Ash smiled at the acceptance.

"Well, then let's go."

"Hold up there Ash!"

He turned to Nurse Joy who called out to him. Patiently he waited for what she wanted, shooting a glance at the girl waiting for her chance to speak to the nurse. But, Nurse Joy wasn't at all worried about the rapidly growing line full of impatient trainers.

With no shame at all, she walked around the counter, effectively ignoring all the trainers who began to mutter amongst themselves in protest. Ash stood there awkwardly as he was shot many glares.

"Yes?" He was hoping to get to training soon. He was still in a sour mood about the whole Meowth thing and nothing helped distract him from his thoughts like training.

She smirked then. A real mischievous smirk that made Ash sweat a bit in the moments she prolonged what she was going to say.

She put a perfectly manicured hand on her hip and mocked his voice as she said, "Please let me see Meowth! Please Nurse Joy! I'll do anything, please!" She wailed dramatically before she broke out into laughter.

Immediately his face heated up at the sound of her loud voice. The children in line, who were eavesdropping looked to each other in question, trying to decipher what was going on. He rubbed the back of his head trying to shake off the embarrassment he felt at actually hearing how desperate he must have sounded.

When she was done with her laughing fit she continued, in that horrible imitation of what she believed sounded like his voice.

He looked down in an attempt to not meet anyone's gaze but what was waiting for him was a pair of red eyes filled with questions. That was right, Bulbasaur hadn't been there when he begged to see Meowth. He cared about how Bulbasaur perceived him, and he didn't want to be humiliated in front of his starter.

"Nurse Joy," he began, his voice strained.

She stopped laughing immediately, though there was still a well-placed smirk on her face. "Lighten up, I was just having fun." She pouted, and by now she was standing directly in front of him.

He said nothing.

"Look, at first I wasn't going to hold you to the whole 'I'll do anything' thing you said, but," she paused looking at a particular nail of hers. "As you already know the hospital staff has been swamped. We're tired and need an extra hand with small tasks. Things we usually do ourselves but no longer have time for. Plus, nothing sounds like music to my ears than free labor."

When he had spoken those words in the heat of the moment not once did he actually think they would come back to haunt him. Now, it seemed that he would have to hold up his end of the deal. He was after all, a person of their word.

"Yep, that's right," Nurse Joy said teasingly recognizing the realization on his face.

"Ash Ketchum, it's time to pay up."

ooo

Ash grunted as he paused in the middle of the hallway to set the box down. After a second of stretching his arms he squatted, picked the heavy crate back up and adjusting his arms so he was carrying it in the most comfortable position.

He craned his neck, doing his best to look around the tall object in his arms obstructing his view of Nurse Joy. Eventually, he gave up on trying to look for her and instead followed the green saurian he could see in the smallest corner of his eye.

He focused on his deep green pokemon and continued forward, every now and then stopping to reposition the slipping box from his arms.

"Here we are."

Finally.

Not quick enough he steadily and carefully lowered the box from his hands onto the floor. He took the time to finally take notice of his surroundings. He looked around, rubbing his aching arms. Before, he had been walking and making countless turns not knowing where they were headed.

In front of them was one lone door. Behind him there was nothing but a long wall that lead all the way down the hall. They were somewhere in the back of the hospital, he gathered from the pink haired nurse's explanation. The only way out of the corridor was to walk all the way down and make a right.

This particular area of the hospital was deserted. Halfway on their way over he stopped seeing nurses and doctors as they passed all the patient and exam rooms.

"Here, you'll be needing this." Ash held out his hand and Nurse Joy plopped a spare key into his hand. He traced the key with his thumb for a second before pocketing it. He really hoped he wouldn't lose it. The pink nurse then began fumbling with the lock before with a loud creak the door opened.

He picked the box back up and followed her into the storage room. The first thing that caught his attention was how large and vast it was. When the light was flickered on he noticed the tall shelves nearly reaching the ceiling. They went on for dozens and dozens of rows and were filled completely.

Ash took one glance at his now seemingly minuscule box in comparison, then looked up and gulped.

"Put that box away. You can figure out where. Then I want you to take down those boxes…" Here she took a second to stop and point to which ones. "…and organize everything inside. Once you're done with that," she handed him a clipboard and he briefly took in the words on the papers. It was mostly just numbers.

"Each room on that list is to be delivered the exact quantity of supplies listed. Oh, and you might want to hurry because we have a shipment coming in later today and we'll be needing your help with that."

With a devilish smile she wiggled her fingers goodbye and was on her way.

Ash sighed and got to work.

At the very top of the ladder he took a second to balance himself.

To say the least, he wasn't the fondest of heights, and the rickety ladder wasn't helping to calm his nerves. He took a deep breath as he slowly released his hands from the bar and stretched his arms out for the box. Even at the tallest point his small frame couldn't just quite reach what he needed to get. He leaned closer, boldly standing on his tippy toes.

It was in that moment the ladder chose to start rocking. His hands raced back to the bar and he hugged the unsteady ladder like his life depended on it. He supposed, in a way, it kind of did. Then a few seconds later the ladder stilled.

He dared to look down, only to see Bulbasaur filled with amusement. The only reason he didn't get irritated over his starter having fun at the expense of his sanity was the fact that Bulbasaur had saved him. Gripped tightly on the two sides of the ladder holding it securely in place was the bulb pokemon's vines. Ash nodded gratefully, not yet trusting his voice.

"Time to pay up, Ash Ketchum," he mimicked sarcastically in his own version of Nurse Joy's voice.

Perhaps it would have been easier for Bulbasaur to get the box, but that wasn't how he wanted to do things. This was the work that Nurse Joy assigned to him, so he would complete it. Bulbasaur really had nothing to do with it, so he wouldn't use him as a shortcut. The only reason he was allowing Bulbasaur to help him still the ladder was his poorly contained discomfort.

Another deep breath, and he tried again. Once more on his tippy toes, his fingers grazed the box, unintentionally pushing it back. He sighed, impatient, and this time reached for it with both hands. Once he grasped it in his hands he let out a little grin.

"Well, that wasn't so hard."

He attempted to take one step down the ladder, and missed his footing. He swayed to the left, the weight of the contents sliding to that side and effectively putting him off balance. Next thing he knew the box flew out of his arms and he was falling.

"Oomph." His clenched eyes opened hesitantly and he was relieved to see that he was being held in the air by Bulbasaur's vines. He was lowered to the ground gently, and Bulbasaur tilted his head mockingly and expectantly at him.

"Thank you, Bulbasaur," he said breathlessly. He was actually a tad surprised the saurian had caught him.

But then again would Bulbasaur had really just let him fall and injure himself? He smiled at the thought that at least Bulbasaur didn't want to see him hurt. It was progress right?

Bulbasaur grunted in response before bashfully turning away from him. His smile started to grow wider before it was wiped from his face.

Oh no, where was the box?

"Oh, no, oh, no," he muttered in barely concealed panic. As he rushed over to the box that had fallen he could only think about how Nurse Joy would literally kill him if he broke something. In one forceful tear he ripped the thing open and his shoulders eased at the contents inside. It was filled with needles and syringes protected by plastic wrapping.

Good, nothing broken.

ooo

What followed was a long morning/early afternoon filled with entering and stocking room after room with supplies. Once he was finished he went to see his doctor, to finally take out the stitches. What remained in its place were three long blemishes, a memento from Meowth.

He sat on the hospital bed waiting for Mrs. Sky to give him the clear. As he waited he fiddled with the marble Nurse Joy had given him. Meowth had left it on the bed, and Ash didn't know how he should take that.

"Well, Ash your stitches healed up nicely, too bad about those nasty scars though." Ash smiled, angling his neck to take another look at the tender pink flesh. Quite honestly he didn't mind the scaring, it looked pretty cool.

The doctor's lips twitched amusedly, seeing the ten year old boy was actually pleased with his new macho look. "Where will you be headed after you leave Viridian?" He looked up to meet her green eyes.

"I'm headed to Pewter city through Viridian Forest. I'm going to challenge Brock soon."

Trying to challenge Viridian's gym was pointless. He thought about the boy he met in the waiting area. He had a mouth on him, eagerly telling him everything he needed to know about this city. According to him the gym leader was a stuck up prick, only allowing challengers with at least seven badges. Apparently this limited the amount of challengers to waste his 'valuable time'. Most were too scared to challenge him anyway.

Ash knew of Giovanni's scary reputation but the rest had been news to him.

That was fine with him, he'd come back to challenge Giovanni. He knew he wasn't ready. In Kanto there were sixteen league registered gyms. He's already chosen the ones he wanted to challenge. Even though as a first year trainer he would be facing league registered teams, it would still be difficult with him picking some of the strongest.

In order to qualify for the Indigo league you must attain at least eight badges from any of the sixteen gyms of your choosing.

The gyms aren't ranked by the league but there is an unofficial top five among trainers. Those five gyms have the toughest reputation in Kanto. Their raw power and ability being a step above the rest. They are Vermilion, Fuchsia, Saffron, Viridian, and Cerulean. These gyms are known as the toughest to challenge and he plans on challenging all.

"Well it can take anywhere between four to six days to get through the forest. Word of advice, stock up on potions and repels. Also, be sure to keep your pokemon out with you at all times." She stood up as if to leave.

"Thanks Mrs. Sky." He nodded his head in respect. He had already been thoroughly prepped by the professor on how to deal with traveling through the forest and caves, and some of the more dangerous routes.

She smiled warmly at him and left.

As he threw on his shirt he decided to spend the day shopping. He'd stock up on potions as suggested. The Viridian Forest was full of pokemon who used paralysis and poisonous attacks. He could also go over what he knew of the pokemon that habited the forest, he wanted to be prepared.

He released Bulbasaur and on their way to the elevator began to explain their schedule for the day.

They began walking down the hallway in silence, not in a rush to get anywhere. He eyed the many portraits on the white walls. They were full of pictures of Nurse Joy and her staff. Some just pokemon with their trainers. In other pictures the pokemon were the patients and in the rest, the trainer.

One particular picture took his interest. In it were two boys, one on the bed with bandages wrapped around his head, the other standing beside the bed with a peace sign up. The picture caught the boy on the bed in the middle of laughing, showing off a missing tooth. At first glance the boys appeared to be twins with their bright red hair and green eyes. At closer inspection he realized the boy with the peace sign was a ditto. He could tell this particular ditto was inexperienced with transforming into people. The face was emotionless and the eyes very small and unfocused, giving it away. Experienced ditto were able to transform into people successfully mimicking everything but their ability to speak. They aren't able to talk, but after coming across Meowth he wondered, was it possible?

ooo

After finally registering for the Indigo league and with an order from Nurse Joy to get to work as soon as he came back, he left the pokemon center.

This year the Indigo league was held on April 21. The very next day he began his journey. They didn't pick a set date yet but he knew it would be early June next year. He had a little over a year to complete the gym circuit and obtain his badges.

It was time to shop, modestly of course and then sneak in as much training time as possible before coming back to putting away the latest shipment of supplies. After today there would officially be no reason for him to stay in Viridian. Meowth was gone, his stitches were taken out, and quite honestly he thought Bulbasaur was on the verge of learning sleep powder.

If he learned it by tonight, they would leave bright and early tomorrow morning.

He stopped to glance at a wanted poster hanging on a pole.

It read as follows:

WANTED

CONFIRMED TEAM ROCKET MEMBERS

There was a blurry picture of two males in the distinguishable Team Rocket uniform. The uniforms consisted of black pants and shirts. Engraved on the shirts were a large red R.

They weren't very good pictures so he couldn't tell much. From what he could see of the pictures one male was of small stature. The other male was much taller with a large scar going across his cheek.

Known Pokemon: Wheezing, Arbok, Zubat

"If seen immediately contact police. Valuable information is rewarded with two hundred and fifty poke dollars. Actual capture of the members would be rewarded with three thousand poke dollars. Trainers with a green class are not eligible to attempt capture," he read aloud.

They were wanted for thievery. They were targeting new trainers. To the authorities knowledge they had already stolen the starter pokemon of three new trainers.

He glanced at Bulbasaur.

Team Rocket was an organization that at least known to the public turned up about five years ago. Their main goal to everyone's knowledge was to steal pokemon and sell them for profit. He's heard of cases where they went to extreme lengths to acquire strong or rare ones. Crime, kidnapping of pokemon and people, experiments and disease have sky rocketed since they made an appearance. Their influence had even spread to Johto.

He glanced at the city map in his hands and put thoughts of Team Rocket behind him.

He needed to focus on finding the store, something that seemed difficult the more he looked around him and then to the map.

ooo

With a victorious smirk on his face, and a glance at the dark sky he walked up the steps to the pokemon center. He was in a good mood. He'd gotten all the supplies he needed and most importantly, Bulbasaur had finally learned sleep powder.

It had taken about a week and a half to get the move down. That was really good timing, since sleep powder was considered a simpler move for a bulbasaur to learn. Especially if they were already familiar with the inner mechanism on how their bulb worked. In Bulbasaur's case he was, seeing that he knew poison powder already.

Bulbasaur was safely tucked in his ball, tired and irritable from all the people. Ash would let him back out when they got to the supply room. As he prepared to open the door he thought about Nurse Joy's reaction to him arriving so late. Though, if she had a problem with it, it's her own fault since she never gave a specific time.

When he entered the pokemon center there were hordes of people. There was a crowd surrounding the front desk with a nervous looking Nurse Joy. Ash's smirk widened upon realizing he'd be able to sneak by, unnoticed by the pinkette.

"My poliwhirl was supposed to be released this morning! Why isn't he ready?" One girl shouted.

"Yea, Pidgey went in for a simple checkup and it's been half a day! What is the holdup?" A boy with glasses agreed.

"If you won't release my pokemon can I at least see him!?"

There were more nods of agreement and shouting. For whatever reason it seemed as though the center was backed up. Nurse Joy tried to talk sense into everyone but nothing was working, she looked to be hating her job at the moment. He didn't blame her, he'd hate it too if he was her.

He sighed as he began walking through the halls, the same way Nurse Joy had showed him how to get to the storage room. As he passed more and more empty rooms and didn't see a single person his eyebrows furrowed. Why were the halls so quiet?

Eventually, he reached the door and he paused when inserting the key. Had he heard someone inside? He wiggled the key in the lock and opened the door.

He blinked confusedly upon seeing dark figures moving around on the floor. He reached blindly around on the wall and when he found the light switch he turned it on.

Nothing but shock and confusion went through him upon seeing the dozen or so nurses and doctors on the ground, all tied up so they could barely move an inch. They were gagged and their faces were just as confused to see him as he was to see them.

After the initial shock wore off he ran to the closest nurse. He carefully but hurriedly began to remove the tape from her mouth, readying his questions.

"Thank you, thank y-"

"What's going on? What happened? Are you okay? Does Nurse Joy know that you're here?" He didn't hesitate in shooting out his questions. He didn't mean to cut her off, but he really needed answers.

The blonde woman bit her lip as she spoke. "She knows, they put her and some of the other's down there." She nudged with her head to the left, and Ash raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean she's down there? I saw her at the front desk just a few minutes ago!" Ash looked to his left, squinting, trying to pinpoint anything in the dark vast room.

The nurse shook her head in protest and her lips curled into a frown. "No, that was an imposter! Who knows who that person is but it definitely isn't our Nurse Joy!"

Ash began listening to the woman talk as he began to untie her. She was tied to the shelf so her movement was heavily restricted.

Apparently, they were all lured to the storage closet one by one until no one remained. They'd been tied up and left here for hours. No one suspected a thing because it was 'Nurse Joy' leading them there.

She also had no clue who the imposter Nurse Joy could be.

Ash had a thought. He opened his xtransceiver and called the authorities. "119, what is the nature of your emergency?"

Ash simply ignored the woman choosing to point the device into the blonde nurse's face asking her to explain the situation. He was a kid and it would be better for the woman to explain the situation.

As the nurse explained he watched as the operator woman's eyes got wider and wider, before finally she ended the call telling them she'd contact the chief of police, Jenny.

"Untie everyone, I'll go get Nurse Joy," he instructed the nurse.

He began walking down going deeper into the storage room. As he walked he found more and more people working at the hospital tied up. Till finally he spotted Nurse Joy. Her eyes were narrowed and she looked angry. Ash cold practically feel the waves of fury her body emitted.

He ran to her and began untying her immediately. All the while he thought about the person he saw at the desk. They looked like Nurse Joy, but since they weren't, who were they? A relative perhaps?

He ripped off the tape on Nurse Joy's mouth.

"Ouch, couldn't be gentler than that huh?" She snapped out. He smiled despite the situation, this was Nurse Joy alright. All his doubts flew out the window at that statement.

Beside her was Mrs. Sky. He felt sympathy for her. Her eyes were panicked and filled with unshed tears. He looked away and back to Nurse Joy.

"Ah, finally free!" Nurse Joy stretched her arms out and then proceeded to scratch her nose.

"Nurse Joy, who attacked you? What happened?" He couldn't control himself in asking the questions he'd been wondering since he'd got in.

"Two guys. At the time I didn't realize it but they're those Team Rocket members from the posters. They're here to kidnap all the pokemon here. Ugh how didn't I notice? I was so distracted and they were pretending to drop off supplies. I didn't think anything of it when showing them the supply closet!" She clenched her fist in anger.

"Where are all the Chansey?" There were so many around the hospital he couldn't help but wonder about their disappearances.

Then another nurse spoke up.

"Ah, I remember seeing Nurse Joy returning a few to their pokeballs….well… I guess that wasn't Nurse Joy," she trailed off in realization.

That made sense. So they retuned all of the Chansey using the fake Nurse Joy. They were probably planning to kidnap them too.

Nurse Joy smirked then, "It's a good thing I gave you that key, ne? I was banking on the fact that you would get here to put away the supplies and get us out of this situation."

Ash frowned at that, after all he was no hero. Besides from doing the obvious and releasing them from their binds he had no clue what to do next.

"Nurse Joy, what do we do?" He spoke.

In that moment all of hospital workers huddled together, now free from their binds. They all looked to Nurse Joy for instruction. Even with all of the eyes of her staff on her, Nurse Joy did not buckle under pressure. She ran this hospital and the people in it so of course she was used to leading people.

"Well, those guys will probably be back soon to check up on us, so how about we give them a little surprise." She winked, eyes sparkling with mischief, and they all leaned in closer to hear her plan.

ooo

Bulbasaur was the only pokemon here so everything revolved around him. The plan was relatively simple. Knock them out when they opened the door before they could release their pokemon.

Everyone was huddled together pretending to still be tied up. Then the door creaked open and they heard voices.

"I'm telling you, taking those magikarp was stupid! They're useless man." Ash flinched at the voice, already feeling unsure about this plan of theirs. He crossed his fingers praying it would work.

"And I'm telling you we don't get to decide what is useless or not. Our orders were to take them all." A different voice responded, the tone clearly irritated.

When they walked into the room, he made eye contact with Bulbasaur. They were both standing behind a shelf waiting for the perfect opportunity.

"Hmph, whatever, they'll probably just use them for experiments anyway." As they passed by their shelf he urgently glanced at Bulbasaur. It was now or never. Bulbasaur nodded catching the hint.

"Alright, you check on all of them, I'll go back and check on Nurse Joy." One spoke and here they both chuckled to a joke only they were in on. Then the man moved back in the direction of the door.

"Wait, no," he whispered urgently to Bulbasaur.

But by then it was too late, Bulbasaur had already revealed himself.

With a whip of his vines Bulbasaur was able to successfully knock out the taller man. So, just when Ash thought they could be in luck he heard, "what the hell?" and saw a flash of light.

When the light cleared a savage beast took its place.

Ash froze in fear as narrow, piercing black eyes held his body still with willpower alone.

The first thing that stuck out was how gigantic the snake creature was. Its head awkwardly connected with the top of the ceiling, forcing it to lower it so it could fit its full height comfortably into the room.

If Ash's life wasn't in danger and his head was in the right place he would be aweing the creature with something akin to admiration. Really, if he was thinking about details in this very moment his mind would be wondering how tall the creature was. It had to be over fourteen feet tall!

Ash snapped out of his daze at a low sizzling hiss. He could see the creature eyeing its master wondering why it had been summoned, all while flapping it's long purple tail tauntingly.

He flicked his gaze to take in the conscious member of the two rockets. The man wore glasses and was of a much smaller build compared to the other man. Ash switched his cautious gaze back to the threat in the room.

The pokemon was oozing with killer intent. It reeked of death, promising it.

His view lingered on the peculiar markings on the beast's belly and he realized with a forceful shake of his head he had almost been caught in a trap. If he allowed himself to be mesmerized by the strange signs then he would had been in a trance.

Finally, finding some will he took one slow deliberate step back. It was an action that didn't go unnoticed by the snake.

In his life he'd seen quite a few pokemon in the ekans line but none gave justice to its evolved form. Living in a small town wasn't the same as the city. In the city pokemon are more tamed, and used to human contact.

In Pallet town he lived together with wild pokemon, but they saw it as him invading their territory. Not carrying around a repel was a death wish, since it rid them of the presence of most wild pokemon. In conjunction with that every child raised in his town carried at least one weapon on their person at all times, it was a must.

So, unfortunately he's had a few run-ins with ekans but nothing serious or worth mentioning. For the most part if you don't bother them, they don't bother you. A flying type or rodent was a much more appealing meal to them.

But, he's never seen an arbok before, at least not in front of his own eyes. This one was just so…villainous. He cringed as the arbok's eyes narrowed into slits and it tongue flickered out to taste the air. The room temperature increased tenfold and he knew that it would love nothing more than to swallow him whole. Ash swallowed hard, unnoticeably to him his legs were shaking.

The man sneered at him, his lips curling for a second before they parted and an order flowed out. "Kill the kid, just knock out the bulbasaur, it's rare."

The arbok eyed them and lazily swatted its long tail toward him. He was paralyzed with fear, incapable of even putting his hands up to defend himself in preparation for the blow. In the very last moment he was forcefully moved out of the way and his body came crashing to the ground. The vines around his torso came undone and Ash slowly pulled himself up.

"T-Thanks Bulbasaur," he croaked out, sparing his starter a quick, grateful look.

Ash looked behind him as the tail came crashing into the wall, destroying it, and throwing boxes everywhere. This time, he held his hands up and just in time as the force from the propelling objects collided with him and sent him flying.

Dust kicked up in the air and Ash coughed uncontrollably as it filled his lungs.

Wearily, and with more difficulty he stood back up wondering if it was even worth it. His heart thumped in his chest and he tried really hard not to think about what would have happened if that tail had hit him.

Why hadn't he moved?

In the back ground he heard the women screaming, running to avoid the fallen shelves, some making a beeline for the door.

Arbok wiggled its body and Ash realized the snake was coming back for round two. This time, he was ready, and he dived, narrowly missing the long angular tail. His hands uncurled from its cradled hold on his head, and he looked up to see Bulbasaur pointlessly attack the arbok.

This was exactly what they wanted to avoid. This pokemon was too much for them to take on.

The arbok watched with amusement as Bulbasaur planted itself right in front of it and shot out seed bomb after the other. The snake opened its mouth to flash them its long fangs dripping with poison. It simply allowed the plants to cover its body. It wiggled once in annoyance but otherwise seemed unfazed. The plants did nothing to restrict its movement.

Then it threw its tail toward Bulbasaur once more and Bulbasaur jumped out of the way.

"Stop playing and kill the boy!" The man lost his patience and snapped out. Arbok hissed at its trainer dangerously and the rocket reeled back at the threat.

Did he have control of that thing? For some reason, the thought that the man didn't even have complete control of his own pokemon made him more fearful of the creature.

The man must had some control though, because arbok sat its sights on Ash and its lips curled into some variation of a smile. Then it opened its mouth and a peak of light appeared in its dark cavern.

Once more, before Ash could fully comprehend what was happening he was grabbed by Bulbasaur's vines and hurled across the room as bright, sharp, needle like substances chased him around like he was a simple game, an object to be caught for fun.

He felt sick.

 _Poison sting_ , Ash thought before he was released and his form hunched over to let out the contents of his stomach. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and once the dizziness faded looked up to see Bulbasaur take in some of the large poisonous needles. Bulbasaur was unable to dodge the endless attack but he was distracting arbok from accomplishing its orders.

This didn't feel real.

Bulbasaur zoomed in colliding with the large cobra before he fell back from the force of the collision. Tackle had done more harm to Bulbasaur than it could ever do to arbok.

Fear snaked its way into Ash's heart as arbok hissed in amusement at the fact that Bulbasaur had inflicted damage on himself with his own attack.

When Ash stood a crackled sound came from stepping on plastic. He looked to see what was sticking to his feet and then back up to arbok that was staring at him. Next thing he knew the snake was slithering in his direction to finish the deed.

" **Grr, GRR, GRR,** " Bulbasaur snarled as his vines gripped the end of the snake's tail in attempt to halt its movement.

Bulbasaur was protecting him.

The snake no longer looked amused as it hissed in irritation. It kept slithering, Bulbasaur just not having enough strength in its tiny body to hold the snake back. He was dragged along for the ride and his feet skidded in protest.

"Were no match for it," Ash whispered as his stomach filled with helplessness.

Eventually, the snake turned around and with one sweep of its tail sent Bulbasaur soaring through the air.

"BULBASAUR!" He screamed out frantically at the sight of his starters still body. His feet were already moving and he was running straight to where Bulbasaur had been flung to. Relief instantly filled him to see Bulbasaur's ruby eyes as he touched him.

"Bulba." Bulbasaur attempted to get back up but Ash held him down. He no longer wanted to see his partner fighting a losing battle.

"It's okay Bulbasaur. It just wants me, and it's okay," he whispered fervently, hoping he was convincing.

Bulbasaur wasn't fooled though. Ash was shaking in fear because he knew there was no way he could avoid death. Bulbasaur didn't want this human to die for some reason. So, Bulbasaur moved its stubby legs to stand back up. The saurian breathed heavily as he thought of his next move.

"Bulbasaur, no," Ash whispered. He looked on to see Bulbasaur's small figure had stood up to the massive figure that was arbok.

 **Drip, Drip, Drip**

Ash eyes widened as he took in the purple gunk that made a small puddle on the floor. It sizzled and began to eat away at the concrete surface. His gaze followed the gunk to Arbok's mouth where it pooled in the corner its mouth.

"Acid," he spoke as he took one step back in fear, then realized there was no way Bulbasaur could survive the amount Arbok was planning on shooting at him. No, he wouldn't let his first pokemon die. He refused to let Bulbasaur die.

Bulbasaur wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him. If he hadn't selected him as his starter. If he hadn't been persistent in his attempts to see Meowth. Whatever way Ash looked at it, this was all his fault and he refused to let Bulbasaur pay for that.

Besides, Bulbasaur had protected him and that brought a bitter smile to his lips. His insides tingled with warmth and regret. Despite the circumstances that brought it, he was happy to know that some part of Bulbasaur cared for him, despite how small that part may be.

His legs trembled as he ran to his starter and flung his body onto Bulbasaur's. Bulbasaur's vines screamed rejection as they futilely tried to pry the boy off him. Yet the boy was persistent, and warm liquid in the form of drops plopped onto Bulbasaur's tough hide.

"Bulba," he snarled in protest. His vines gently, but sternly pushing against Ash's chest. Ash stayed firm, his resolve was set and if he died today, at least Bulbasaur wouldn't, and that was good enough for him.

His face was flushed, he felt doozy, and his eyes were filled to the brim with fear and tears. His limbs trembled in denial of his fate, urging him to change his mind and run. But he wouldn't.

He closed his eyes tight waiting for the inevitable.

Yet it never came.

Even with his eyes shut he was still able to see the bright flash of light. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, and immediately he noticed the absence of hissing and then arbok's large shape.

He looked on in confusion and then realization dawned on him. Standing over the rockets collapsed body with a frown on her face was none other than Nurse Joy. She threw the syringe in her hand away, then pocketed the poke ball.

"That's enough of that now." She clapped her hands together before addressing him.

"Are you okay Ash? Everyone?" She turned her attention to the rest of hospital workers that were hiding and beginning to come out and show themselves. Most he noticed had used the attack as an opportunity to escape. Relief filled the pink haired woman's face to know they were all fine. Then her gaze shifted back to him expectantly.

All he could do was nod dumbly as relieved tears fell, and he turned to hide it from all the women in the room.

"Good, now let's get these idiots tied up," she instructed.

ooo

He was in the lobby. He had just been interviewed by the authorities, and he was tired. He glanced to Bulbasaur who lay at his feet. Despite the overwhelming crowd and noise his starter had elected not to return to his pokeball.

At first it was Ash who was needy and selfishly stayed close to Bulbasaur. But, when it was time for Bulbasaur to be healed, Bulbasaur refused to let Ash leave. Ash was there by his side during the whole treatment.

All around him there were trainers being reunited with their pokemon and police interviewing everyone. He focused his gaze on Bulbasaur, and the weight of today did not leave his shoulders. The weight of what almost happened to him, to Bulbasaur was eating him alive.

He was tired. He almost died. He was tired. He almost died.

His mind kept bouncing back and forth between those two thoughts.

Right now he just wanted to sleep. Sleep and pretend as if today had never happened.

"Hey kiddo." He looked up to see Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny. They approached him with cautious steps and gentle smiles.

Officer Jenny offered him a larger grin. "Good job today. Without you they would have gotten away for sure with those pokemon." He nodded, by now numb to all the words of gratitude. He didn't really feel like the 'hero' everyone was pointing him out to be.

The person who really saved the day was Nurse Joy, along with Bulbasaur's help.

"So…" she continued, bringing his attention back to her face, "On behalf of Viridian city we would like to present you with a reward."

Despite how tired he was an eyebrow raised slightly. "What reward?" He asked curiously.

She smiled, pleased with herself. "You have two options, you can either take the money or we can present you with a pokemon."

He thought over the offer carefully. He had enough money saved up to last a while. He didn't have any other pokemon except Bulbasaur, but he also promised Bulbasaur he wouldn't catch any pokemon until he accepted him.

As if hearing his internal dilemma Officer Jenny spoke up. "It would take a while for us to present the pokemon though."

His choice just got harder as he debated over taking the pokemon. He had almost picked the money.

"Where will you get the pokemon?"

Here Officer Jenny's smile cracked a little, "Well, we will be taking Team Rockets pokemon into custody. If possible they will be rehabilitated and sent back to the wild. The most behaved one we could give to you."

No, absolutely not.

He didn't want a pokemon like arbok. Ash would be lying if he said he wasn't terrified of the pokemon. Would all of his pokemon grow to be like that? He looked to Bulbasaur at his feet, peacefully lying there but keeping a watchful eye on Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. Would Bulbasaur grow up to be scary?

His body, while weary and tired from the day's events were still on edge. Immediately, he noticed a person enter his personal space, lose their footing and gasping. Ash reacted fast enough to lurch forward and grab the boy who had begun to fall to the floor.

"Are you okay?" He asked. The boy had green eyes, and shaggy red hair. He looked to be just a bit older than him. Though what bothered him was how familiar he looked. Where did he know him from?

"S-sorry, thanks." The boy regarded him nervously before picking himself up and rushing out of the doors.

How strange.

He didn't allow his mind to dwell on the behavior though.

He turned his attention back to Officer Jenny, stalling for time.

"Not all pokemon are like arbok, Ash." She approached the situation carefully and at first anger flourished in his gut. How dare she? Did she know what he just went through? That a pokemon almost killed him!

"I'll take the pokemon," he finally answered, but he feared he spoke the words just to prove a point.

Officer Jenny nodded. "Okay, I'll let you know when it's ready. We honestly don't know how long it'll take."

She took his contact information and left with Nurse Joy.

Ash hoped he hadn't made the wrong decision by not taking the money.

Then he got up, it was dark outside and in his mind that meant time to sleep.

ooo

Ash held up the key card and once the scanner flashed green he opened the door to his temporary room. He didn't bother with the lights as his feet led him to the only destination that's been on his mind for hours. With a distinct plop he fell on the hard mattress and felt his muscles begin to loosen.

He didn't know how long he lay like that before with a sigh he sat up to a sitting position to reach for his shoes. With a thump they fell to the ground, and he winced at the sound. He began reaching for his socks next before he paused, finally seeing two red glows visible in the darkness.

He reached for Bulbasaur's pokeball, and he didn't have it within him to be surprised anymore when the device was slapped out of his hands. He ignored the throb in his fingers and instead focused on the only part of Bulbasaur he could see.

His starter's eyes.

After it became clear that Bulbasaur wouldn't say anything he spoke.

"We almost died today," he began. He heard Bulbasaur grunt in agreement and for the first time he spoke the words aloud, making the situation feel more real. His eyes stung as it became clear to him how close he had been to death.

Hours ago he had been so close to never reaching his dream, and his chest heaved at the thought.

What surprised him most was that he'd almost gave all that up for a pokemon. Never in his life had he ever thought he would sacrifice his own life for a pokemon, not even his own. For some reason that really scared him. He never thought he could feel such strong emotions for a pokemon, especially one he barely knew.

"You were protecting me, and you could have died because of that. Were you willing to die for me?" His voice was croaky as he felt the walls of his throat tighten. Bulbasaur tilted his head away, Ash knew, because he could no longer see the saurian's eyes.

Ash didn't wait for an answer. "I was willing to die for you. In that moment all I could think about was you, Bulbasaur. Not my mom, not my dream, or everyone in pallet, there was just you."

Bulbasaur was closer now, and his eyes bore the same confusion Ash felt.

Ash was relieved to know that it wasn't just him trying to figure out his actions. Those feelings of sacrifice were just as foreign to him as they were to Bulbasaur.

"Bulba, bulba saur."

Ash didn't try to decipher and asked another question.

"Why was I only thinking about you?" Again, there was no answer and Ash's frown deepened and his brows furrowed.

He came to his answer.

He looked up, brown meeting crimson.

"You're stuck with me now, you know?"

Red eyes narrowed, a grunt of acknowledgement following.

Ash picked up the ball once more, this time hoping Bulbasaur would slap it out of his hand because he could really use the company. When Bulbasaur didn't, he sighed, a bit disappointed. It would seem it was still too soon for that.

So he clicked the button, watching the pair of crimson eyes disappear. He stared at the pokeball for a while after that. Glaring holes into it long and hard.

He laid down, marveling over how at least one good thing came out of today.

Then sleep took him.

ooo

Today they would leave. Ash tried to force all his bad memories of yesterday out of his mind and focus on the good, like the fact that Bulbasaur had finally accepted him.

And it worked, nothing made him happier.

They still had no clue who the fake Nurse Joy was since the mysterious woman disappeared once things went down. Not to mention from what he could gather of Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy's conversation, the men weren't talking. Luckily though they were able to get back all the pokemon, though unfortunately not the ones the men had previously stolen from the new trainers.

When he called his mom to let her know how everything was going, he conveniently left out the reason he needed new clothes. Hopefully she would be too busy to keep tabs on the news and see what happened. Though if she asked about it he already prepared himself to lie.

It just wasn't worth worrying his mother over.

He stood in front of the mirror, checking out his new outfit.

His previous shirt was shredded and he wasn't nearly skilled enough to wash out all the blood in his pants. He tried several times before giving up.

That was fine though because his mother knew his taste. He stood in front of the mirror to inspect one of his new outfits. The long sleeve shirt was crimson red, and he pulled up the sleeves a bit so they rested just short of his elbows. His new cargo pants were a deep dark green. He coupled this together with his black protective boots. Yep, he definitely liked the look.

After packing up all his things he walked out.

"You want to train before we head out?" Bulbasaur's response was a nod.

Since Bulbasaur learned sleep powder they would be working on razor leaf next.

He'd debated between razor leaf and take down but after considering the first gym he would challenge the choice was obvious. Challenging a gym that specialized in rock he would want Bulbasaur to keep his distance and use a long ranged style. Even with his sturdy body Bulbasaur would have no chance at close range with a powerful rock type. Besides, take down had a recoil effect, so it would do way more harm than good.

For his first time challenging a gym he wanted to be cautious.

In the lobby Ash saw that Nurse Joy was free at the help desk so he waltzed over.

"Ash, how are you holding up?"

"Were fine," he said nodding to Bulbasaur.

She nodded as if she expected that answer from him.

"I just wanted to say goodbye, and thank you for everything," he continued. He doubted he would ever meet another Nurse Joy that could rival her personality. She was remembarable to say the least. He had a flashback of her standing over the Team Rocket member's unconscious body with a frown and air of superiority.

His mind didn't acknowledge it at the time but she had been cool. Unmatched and unafraid, in that moment everything he hadn't been. Nurse Joy of Viridian was one of a kind.

She frowned at him.

"I don't like how your making this seem like a goodbye forever. I'm sure I'll see you again."

The nurse smiled and reached out her hand. He took it easily, a smile on his face. "Good luck on your journey, Ash. I'm rooting for you so you better make it to top sixty-four, okay? I have a bet with Jenny."

"Don't worry, I plan on doing much better than that."

ooo

Ash and Bulbasaur trolled through the city, the crowd thinning out as they got closer and closer to the border. He'd been conversing one-sidedly with Bulbasaur when a shout of anger filled his ears.

He looked up, searching all the people as a mischievous snicker made him zoom in on three individuals. A child and two men, one of which was hunched over cradling his knee, his face twisted in pain.

Ash looked back down to see Bulbasaur eying the trio cautiously before positioning his body slightly in front of Ash. He smiled at the action before returning his gaze back to the trio.

The child huddled over before standing back up, essentially exploding with laughter, a look of amusement on her face. The little girl appeared to be a few years younger than him, perhaps seven or eight? She had long red hair and mischievous green eyes. Ash for one was wondering what she was doing with those two men.

They definitely didn't seem pleased with her laughter.

The hand of the man that wasn't in pain launched forward and grabbed her arm. The child ceased her giggling and brought her foot back. Ash, who knew what would come next frowned, and his legs uncomfortably closed as simultaneously the child's foot connected with the man's most private parts.

"Ouch," he whispered.

The man howled. His knees buckled and his body slumped to the ground as he grasped his groin area. His face was angry red and he screamed out at the child, who by now was once again in hysterical laughter.

She ran away, headed towards Ash's direction.

"Wait, someone stop that z- kid!" The man who had been kicked in his shin shouted and attempted to help the other man up from the ground. All bystanders including himself stayed put though, some whispering amongst themselves about the matter.

The little girl snickered as she ran down the street, stopping momentarily to look behind her for the two men. She turned, and Ash found himself making eye contact with her. She offered him a strange animalistic like grin before running away.

Ash stared after her retreating form, rubbing his eyes in confusion because he could have sworn he saw a fluffy dark tail on the little girl. When she was out of view he looked back to the two men running after her, pushing innocent bystanders on the sidewalks out of their way.

To say the least the scene had been strange.

Ash eyed Bulbasaur, "That was weird, huh?" Bulbasaur nodded, his face frowning up distastefully. Bulbasaur moved forward, intent on leaving the city.

Ash upped his pace to catch up to his starter, "Hey, do you want to catch lunch before we leave the city?" The memory of the scene already being forgotten.

Funny enough a crying baby had Bulbasaur frowning, quickening his steps. Ash smiled at the answer. Bulbasaur really hated people.

ooo

After they finished eating a quiet lunch comfortably under the shade of a tree Ash began packing up. Once he was finished he glanced to Bulbasaur, who was watching him for his next move. He pursed his lips, still thinking about the message Gary had left him.

He went through his Xtransceiver and clicked a few options that brought him to his messages. Once he got to Gary's name he read it again.

 _Hello, Ashy-boy. I was just inquiring on whether your day has been as lovely as mine. Doubt it! Between the two of us I am first to get a badge, and as I press send to this message I'm on my way to Cerulean. Hah! Maybe next time if you try really really hard you could hope to measure up to my brilliance…or not!_

 _Smell ya later,_

 _Gary._

They'd been trainers for just a little over a week.

Ash didn't know if he should feel skeptical about the toughness of Pewter gym or be impressed with Gary's skill to defeat it in such a short amount of time.

He decided on both.

Never the less Ash frowned, feeling his stomach bubble with jealously. His rival was getting ahead of him, and as much as he tried not to let that fact bother him it did.

So he thought about why he was behind.

The answer was Meowth, and the time he dedicated to training Bulbasaur. So, it was a choice he knew he didn't regret making.

Though if Gary challenged Pewter he had at least two pokemon at this point, but knowing Gary chances are it was even more than that.

It would seem that Gary was back to being the self-centered jerk that he knew and love. Either way, next time he encountered the boy he wouldn't have an excuse to deny him a battle. Ash smiled at the thought of victory over his number one rival.

Then his eyes glanced to the home screen of his Xtransceiver as an alarm went off, making the thought of victory vanish from his mind. From his book bag he could hear the same noise being produced from Dexter, his pokedex. After a few seconds, both devices quieted.

"Bulba?" He looked down to curious red eyes. He took in Bulbasaur's stubby legs slightly pawing at the grass to point out his impatience.

"Hold on a sec," he muttered, already clicking away from Gary's message (he'd respond later) to find the reason behind the noise. It was a local alert. His eyes skimmed through the message but he read it aloud for Bulbasaur.

"Trainers beware of a Type B threat, level 2. There is a traveling group of spearow lead by a highly agitated fearow. The group is estimated to be between thirty and fifty spearow, and one lone fearow. For trainers of green class this is a threat level 4 so you are to use extreme caution. This is a high priority alert and until the issue has been resolved it is recommended that you stray from the outskirts of Viridian Forest. When a league official has cleared the situation you will be notified."

Hm.

He'd forgotten about the spearow.

His first time hearing about them was from Nurse Joy but he had been admittedly whelmed when she talked his ear off about some boy and a pikachu. It wasn't until the following morning that he remembered her telling him that he looked up the matter himself.

Honestly, he would have thought the matter would be resolved by now. The league was usually on top of these situations.

He himself was a green trainer. A green trainer was classified as a rookie or someone who has only been a trainer for four years or less. For many reasons everyone aimed to get the status lifted as soon as possible.

Making money as a green trainer was difficult. Most odd jobs deny any trainer with a green status. Those you can work, call for heavy work load and low pay to show for it. Your considered inexperienced and the level of your pokemon is often presumed to be weak. For those reasons, many employers won't risk hiring them.

That's just one reason. There are contests and tournaments that deny green class trainers at an attempt to have higher quality matches. This way they are more likely to sell out in tickets or have a higher attendance rate. Often tournaments that do allow green trainers to enter demand a higher entrance fee compared to other trainers that enter for free or low charge.

Lastly, there are certain places that green trainers are denied access because of hazardousness. These places have high death tolls and injury through pokemon and humans, or high level wild pokemon.

While the green status is automatically lifted after four years of being a trainer if you didn't get it removed it will follow you through your entire career. They call it the emerald curse. No one wants it, it's a humiliation to any aspiring trainer and a wakeup call that this career isn't for you.

There are three ways to get the green status lifted.

The most common way to go about it is reaching the Top 64 in the Indigo league. Once you reach there, it's lifted and you no longer have to worry about it. The same goes for trainers who compete in contests, the Grand festival for example.

Then for trainers who don't compete in either have to request an exhibition through a league official. They have to show that their pokemon are on an acceptable level power wise while simultaneously expressing their knowledge of said pokemon and control over it.

The last, and rarest of the three is through recommendation. The only people in Kanto capable of giving a recommendation is the Champion, or a member of the elite four. Ash could only think of one person in the last several years to have their green status released this way, and that name escaped him at the moment.

Ash was aiming to have his released the traditional way, during his first year and by competing in the Indigo league. For a moment his mind traveled to an image of him months from now standing center stage in the humongous arena as the crowd cheered.

For now, he focused on the current problem at hand.

Right now, he was on the outskirts of Viridian forest, exactly where the alert told him to stay away from. He had two choices. To turn around and seek shelter within the safety of the city or enter the forest and begin his trek to Pewter. The flock would stay away from Viridian city, but there was a good chance he would run into them on his way back.

He looked up into the vast forest right before his eyes, then down to Bulbasaur. "The spearow wouldn't enter the forest, right?"

Surely such a large group of spearow would have difficulty navigating within the foliage of the forest. Wouldn't they just choose to fly over it? Then again the forest would be a prime feasting ground for the flock, it didn't make sense for the predatory birds to skip out on such an opportunity.

Beside him Bulbasaur sighed, showing he was at a blank just as much as Ash was.

"Well, were partners so do you think we should go back to the city, or just go in?"

At the mention of the city Bulbasaur's eyes glossed over. With a firm shake Bulbasaur groaned and released a vine, adamantly pointing in the direction of the forest.

Ash smiled tensely. Even though Bulbasaur hated the city he knew the saurian wasn't basing his decision on that alone. They were taking a risk but turning back and waiting for a league official to solve the issue could take days, maybe even a week. He couldn't afford to fall more behind, and Bulbasaur who was just as prideful as he was understood that.

With Gary's message still fresh on their minds, they entered the infamous Viridian forest.

ooo

Ash wasn't particularly enjoying his time in the forest. With the knowledge of the spearow at the back of his mind egging him on to get through as quickly as possible.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't creeped out. The whole forest just gave him the chills. The humidity made him sweaty and he had to try hard not to think about the clothes stickily clinging to his skin.

He had multiple cuts on his hands from touching thorny bushes only after the fourth time did he truly learn his lesson. He thought about why he didn't get gloves, they would have been useful. In addition to that there was poisonous gunk spilling down majority of the trees.

Despite being daytime it was dark and he hated seeing the glowing eyes of ariados hiding in bushes. They could jump out and attack them at a moment's notice. Bulbasaur's presence scared away most pokemon. Though more than he'd like they got attacked by some bold ones.

He didn't particularly enjoy the atmosphere.

Yet he still felt some rush.

A rush he enjoyed.

It was strange to think that as much as this place scared him, that thought that he was facing a fear exhilarated him. The few hours he'd spent in the forest he was learning more than he could ever have from just reading about it.

He was tired. He wanted a shower, and his body ached from the numbness of the pain from cuts and scratches that were hours old. His book bag was heavy on his shoulders and the paranoia that they would be attacked at a moment's notice was always there. He'd already gotten lost a few times and despite all this there was an excitement in his gut that he only experienced once in his life.

That was the day he held Bulbasaur's pokeball in his hand for the first time.

The forest proved to be confirmation. That traveling and being a trainer was for him. He wanted nothing else than to feel like this. Eyes full of wonder and fear at what would happen next.

His hair stood up on end at the thought of something amazing happening or making a discovery. The slickness of his neck from sweat made him anxious at the thought of a battle or catching a glimpse of a pokemon he wanted.

That feeling was everything.

He looked up into the sky, the trees made it hard for sunlight to pour into the forest. He judged from the time on his Xtransceiver it would be dusk in a few hours which meant soon they would have to retire for the night.

Ash sighed as he debated his options.

He was too spooked from the forest to allow himself to drift into slumber. He wouldn't be getting a good night's sleep, if any, that was obvious to him. Besides, the thought of sleeping while Bulbasaur stayed up to watch over their makeshift camp site brought a sense of guilt. His senses weren't effective for keeping watch but he could keep his partner company through the night.

He crawled into his sleeping bag shuddering to keep warm. It was so cold, but a fire was dangerous, it'd attract unwanted attention. A few feet away Bulbasaur lay curled up, but despite his starters relaxed posture Ash knew the grass type was on edge.

 _I know your cold_ , Ash thought bitterly looking at his pokemon that refused any physical contact. Hopefully one day their relationship would be on the level he hoped it to.

Ash laid back, eyeing the darkness of the trees that denied him the night sky.

So, this was the trainer life.

ooo

"It's this way," Ash said with hands on his hips, his body turned in the direction that he wanted to go. His eyebrows were pressed in frustration.

They weren't lost again, they weren't.

Directly in front of him Bulbasaur's body was turned in the opposite direction and the grass types eyes were glossed over with impatience. He wanted to go left, but Ash wanted to go right.

Stubborn individuals bump heads a lot, especially when one refuses to back down. Ash was starting to see how he and his starter clashed in that aspect.

"Bulba," Bulbasaur snarled without malice, pointing one of his vines at an Oak that looked identical to all that surrounded them.

It was amazing that despite not being able to understand Bulbasaur they had no issues with communicating.

"No." Ash paused to glance at the tree once more, "We didn't already pass that tree."

He licked his lips and took a glance around the area. He felt less confidant than his words portrayed him to be as he walked up to the tree and slashed the bark with an 'X'. Before Bulbasaur could argue with his decision he led them in the original direction he wanted to go.

Behind him he could hear Bulbasaur moan in annoyance. Ash was sure though. He knew that reading maps had never been his forte when studying for his trainer license but he was adamant that he's improved since then.

About ten minutes later Bulbasaur grabbed his wrist to stop him. Ash glanced at him and Bulbasaur pointed at a tree.

Ash's brown eyes caught a familiar 'X' and for a few minutes there was silence between them. Ash bit his lip and Bulbasaur looked smug.

"Fine, we go your way," Ash grumbled in defeat.

A few hours later Ash checked their progress on his Xtransceiver. They officially had gotten through one days' worth of travel in the forest. If they kept with this pace they could get out of here in three more days.

He wanted to train. Right now they had to keep Bulbasaur's training to a minimum of light exercises and fending off wild pokemon. Tiring out his only pokemon with training would be beyond an idiotic rookie mistake.

He itched to get started on teaching Bulbasaur a new move but for now he would have to hold off that urge for when they reached Pewter city.

The leaves crackled beneath him as he allowed Bulbasaur to lead them through the shrubs. He'd long since abandoned the map and decided to give Bulbasaur a shot at leading them out. So far, the grass type hadn't stirred them wrong.

"Ah," Ash gasped out. Beneath him Bulbasaur's ruby eyes were displeased with Ash for running into him. Ash ignored that and instead focused on the slight anxiousness in his starters eyes.

Ash couldn't understand Bulbasaur but he was pointing in the direction they were headed and was turning around.

Ash was confused. Wasn't this the right way? Why were they turning around?

"What's going-" Bulbasaur gave his arm a smack and Ash clenched his teeth in pain, but remained quiet.

He rubbed his arm waiting for Bulbasaur to explain their sudden stop. Bulbasaur may have thought he was hitting him lightly but he was a pokemon, so his strength was beyond the pain tolerance Ash could handle, even with it suppressed.

As quiet as possible Bulbasaur performed charades with his vines. Ash didn't understand any of it, but the look in Bulbasaur's eye told Ash all he needed to know.

The direction they were headed in was dangerous. Something, perhaps a pokemon above their level was there.

Ash backed up slowly.

Behind him he heard some fluttering and Bulbasaur began snarling.

Ash turned around to meet eyes with piecing black. The creature bobbed its head at Ash in a provoking movement. He stayed still, his mind trying to remember how to deal with the bird of prey.

Submitting wouldn't work.

Running would encourage chase.

Fight it and the thing would call for backup.

It was just a single spearow and he was afraid. Everything suddenly made sense, the direction they were heading in must be where the entire flock was currently nesting.

Ash eyed the particular spearow and something inside of its mouth moved. The green coloration of it made him assume it to be a caterpie, it was still alive, and though the more the bird moved he could see fluid seep out of its beak. Scratch that, the thing was _barely_ alive.

So this particular bird was tasked with bringing back food. That meant it was most likely a male, and low on the totem pole in rank. That meant it knew its place.

If they played their cards right they could scare it off and make it stick to its mission of dropping the food off to the group.

"Intimidate it," Ash commanded and Bulbasaur stepped forward, pawing at the ground and gnarling. The grass type released his vines and whipped them against the ground for added effect.

He could see the anger in the spearow's black irises and its wings fluttered agitatedly. Ash held up his hands to brace himself from the wind.

The caterpie dropped to the floor, wiggling in a futile attempt to stay alive. The second the spearow released the caterpie it opened its beak letting out a loud screeching cry.

Bulbasaur grabbed his wrist to snap him out of his daze and pulled him forward. They were running, sprinting as they tried to get as far as possible. Ash could hear the forest screech as the entire flock reassured the troubled spearow they were coming. Screeches, cries, and screams whirled together in a never ending echo.

Ash felt like his eardrums would burst as the screeches continued, and the sound of wings flapping joined them in a song that promised vengeance. Wind propelled him forward, easing his run, but he did not welcome it. He knew it came from the flock and the more pressure on his back meant the closer they were to gaining on him.

Ahead a burst of wind shot forward in the form of a small tornado. Ash was pulled away by Bulbasaur's vines at the last second, almost running into the wind from not being able to turn away quick enough.

The spearow were attacking now.

Ash chanced a glance back to see several spearow dip, snapping at each other as they tore the poor caterpie apart. He glanced back ahead and jumped over a bush. He realized the only reason they haven't been caught being the thick foliage and the spearow's difficulty in maneuvering within.

What had Nurse Joy said again? He envisioned her voice, 'Only an idiot would mess with a spearow' and that's exactly what he just did.

 _I'm an idiot_ , Ash thought with a tight frown.

Ash looked around desperately trying to find something to help them or a place to hide. He found neither and he continued running. Jumping and ducking over things as quick as his legs allowed him. Bulbasaur was ahead, guiding him, but where he did not know.

Ash was slowing them down, he knew because this wasn't anywhere close to Bulbasaur's speed. If it was just Bulbasaur the grass type could probably get away. Ash gripped his fist in anger because this was all his fault.

His rapid thoughts never considered the possibility that the thick vegetation was preventing Bulbasaur to run at his true speed.

 _What to do, what to do?_

Ash's stomach dropped when he heard a blood curdling shriek that outclassed all the other cry's even when they were put together. He knew without looking back that it had to be the fearow. The leader of the flock was finally giving chase.

In front of them a tree split in half. The make shift pieces tumbled, blocking their path and forcing Bulbasaur to haul Ash over so they would move more quickly. The pokemon that took shelter in the tree scattered, nothing more than little blurs in the corners of his eyes.

The fearow was gaining on them.

Ash hoped that the pokemon that had revealed themselves would prove as a distraction. If they were lucky the thought of a potential meal would outweigh the reward of the chase. Ash knew it was a dark thought but the closer the sound of flapping became the more he realized his life was in danger here.

The sound got closer. The wind tickled his neck, propelling him forward so he tripped over his steps. He got up quickly, running again, this time able to catch a long beak, barely missing him.

He wasn't thinking anymore.

This time he reached for a pokeball. It was Bulbasaur's and he returned the saurian before Bulbasaur could turn around and realize what was happening.

Ash ran, making quick turns, running in zig zags and squeezing himself through as many cramped places as he would fit through. Anything that would help slow down his chasers and give him a chance of getting away.

He wasn't giving up.

Never.

He just needed to think.

He knew that spearow relied on their sight and their sense of smell wasn't the best. He needed to mask his scent, and quick. Once he did that the flock would have to completely rely on sight and if they couldn't find him they would give up chase eventually.

Ash continued to run, bending down simultaneously to pick up dirt and smother it all over himself. He scooped up more and more dirt throwing it on himself and praying it would stick.

Another gush of wind made him realize the fearow was still following closely. The attack chopped down another tree and it fell, blocking his path. Ash was forced to climb over the bulky bark, slowing his run.

When he reached the other side he was hit by something. It was like brick hitting bone and the force of it made Ash fall down a hill. Ash rolled, the contents of his stomach sloshing around and the pain on his right ribs making him cry out.

It hurt.

Ash stayed like that for a minute before jolting up. Overheard at the top of the hill he could see dozens and dozens of spearow fly in the direction he'd planned on heading in.

He lost them?

Carefully, Ash crawled up the top of the hill and looked to see what appeared to be him running away. He rubbed his eyes and squinted but no matter how carefully he looked he saw himself running away and with a fluffy tail no less.

"What?" Ash croaked out, still feeling winded from his hit and toppling down the hill. The calls of the predatory birds were disappearing now, growing quieter the longer he stayed put. Ash took out his pokeball and released Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur immediately checked their surroundings and turned eyes on him. Bulbasaur glared and Ash rubbed the back of his neck in shame.

"I'm sorry for returning you, but I panicked and didn't want you to get hurt." Bulbasaur's glare softened a tad but Ash knew it would be brought up again later.

Ash gasped as two vines twirled him until he saw stars. When he stopped spinning and steadied himself he understood when ruby eyes glossed over in concern.

"Worried about me?" Ash smirked and Bulbasaur denied it with a firm shake of his head.

"Saur…" Bulbasaur mumbled, poking his head up to see over the hill.

"I don't know what happened. I was pushed down the hill and when I looked up I thought I saw myself running away. The flock just followed whatever it was that was running."

Bulbasaur had a contemplative look at that knowledge.

Boy and pokemon waited a couple more minutes until revealing themselves.

Ash had a careful grin on his face.

"Bulbasaur, pinch me." Ash yelped when his starter gave him a good slap with his vine.

He rubbed his arm but now his careful grin had graduated to an idiotic smile. He really couldn't believe they had gotten out of that! He still had so many questions but right now that didn't matter.

The moment of relief was gone as quickly as it had come.

Bulbasaur snarled and Ash's smile slipped off his face. He felt himself grow tired of the sound.

He turned around to see…himself?

Bulbasaur released his vines, and his lookalike opened its mouth to let out a devious snicker.

Ash blinked.

ooo

Wow! Thank you guys for reading and please please review.

Till next time!

Guest review responses from chapter 1

 _I love the Kanto region. Even if this story doesn't get much attention now, stick with it! My favorite Pokemon is actually Ivysaur, but not Venasaur. I think you should have it evolve once to get stronger and bigger but not into the huge final evolution it has. Beyond that, I think a Ditto would make countless interesting battles and is not something you commonly see. Thank you for writing this!_

-Hello! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, it means a lot! Unfortunately not to spoil much I will most likely have Bulbasaur evolve to his final form. He will have difficulty with it though and it will be portrayed realistically. Oh and trust me, I think Ditto is VERY underrated, so stay tuned. ;)

 _It may have been a long time since you've posted it, but I want to say your story promises potential to be among the top tier of Pokemon fanfiction. It's my favorite kind of story and shows originality as well as forethought and skill. Please find time to continue this, but do so at your own pace to make it great. If something feels dull, change it so it makes you passionate! Thank you!_

-Your review actually helped me through my funk! I'm back for good this time (hopefully) so stay tuned for next month's chapter! Really, to say that my story has potential to be a top tier pokemon fanfic means a lot!

 _Brare_

 _Thank you for this story! If you still feel motivated, please continue writing this. There are few truly well written Pokemkn stories to my liking. Traveler is one. Essence is another. This has the potential to be like one of those-you possess a gift in writing. No matter what, have a great day. Thank you for making mine._

-Wow to say I have a gift really touched me, especially since I've never thought of my writing that way! I've only been writing for a little over a year now and I know that if I stick to it have a long long way to go. It makes me extremely happy to know that my chapter made your day, so I'll keep that in mind for when I need motivation to write a new chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: A lot of people have mentioned to me that Ash is really childlike in my story and while I'm happy you guys have noticed that I'm also worried you guys are being put off by it since it's not something I plan to change. As much as I love reading mature Ash fics I feel like they lose Ash's personality in it and completely forget the fact that he is ten years old which there should at least be some signs of. So, what I'm trying to do here is find a balance, Ash will be a childish at times but more often you will see his mature/intelligent side.**

 **Read, Enjoy and Review!**

 **ooo**

For what seemed like minutes Ash just stared in disbelief at two familiar dark brown eyes. That wasn't all that was familiar. His gaze finally tore itself away to explore the rest of what was before him. There was the spiky black hair and thick bushy eyebrows. Then there was the faint scars on its cheeks that resembled lightning bolts. Though, scars wasn't accurate, if going on what his mother told him was correct and he had in fact been born with the strange identical markings then they were, birthmarks. Regardless, that was his build, his clothing, and more importantly, his face.

Ash Ketchum was staring at himself.

The faint sound of Bulbasaur's threatening cries jump started his thoughts. With quick precision his mind connected the dots and the puzzle before him was solved. Well, for the most part.

The creature before him was a pokemon, that much was obvious but what species he did not know. A few came to mind, the first and most likely was a ditto. They were native to Kanto, but around these parts, in this forest they couldn't be found. Or at least shouldn't…

It was his second realization that made him grateful. For whatever reason this pokemon had saved him, and because of that his head found itself being tilted as if to ask the creature before him; why?

As if understanding his unannounced question the creature smiled. It looked carnal and mischievous, making Ash re-evaluate his guess on it being a ditto.

Right before his eyes the creature jumped, back flipped several times while still in midair and became encased in red light. By the time the light was gone the creature had transformed and this time into a bulbasaur.

 _Do ditto create red light when transforming?_

Ash smirked brilliantly as he raced over to inspect Bulbasaur's copy for himself. Before he could get close to the creature a vine grabbed his wrist, halting his movement.

"It's okay, you're here to protect me," Ash smoothed over quickly. He wanted to hurry and inspect the creature. In the back of his mind he tried to remember dittos and all he read about the interesting creatures.

Later when he had time to think about it he would marvel over Bulbasaur's protectiveness but at that second his inner trainer was impatient, annoyed almost.

Bulbasaur released his hold with a grumble and Ash rushed over to the amused creature. Bulbasaur's copy was smiling, its small fangs shinning with joy.

Ash slowly circled the creature to take in its appearance. Frequently he would glance back to Bulbasaur to check for differences between the two. While he analyzed Bulbasaur's copy it stood tall and proud at two feet with a wide smile.

"Almost perfect," Ash complimented. He had finished his analyzing and he was truly impressed with the pokemon's skills.

The creature before him frowned, and puffed in a clearly offended manner.

Ash smiled and then took his two pointer fingers up to his grin, "You see…Bulbasaur doesn't smile…he's a Debbie downer." Ash took his two fingers and dipped the edges of his grin into a grimace.

Just in time he turned around to catch Bulbasaur sneer and turn in embarrassment. Ash released his fingers and turned back to Bulbasaur's copy.

The creature's eyes were wide as if realizing something important before eventually it broke out into a hysterical cackle. Ash couldn't help himself as his smile evolved into a chuckle and then full born laughter.

The creature's energy was infectious.

"I don't think you're a ditto, so what are you?" Ash asked when his laughter died down. The pokemon only seemed to grow more entertained by the situation as time went by. The creature snickered, and he felt the makings of another smile.

Ash reached into his back pocket and he felt his fingers caress his pokedex. He didn't want to scare this pokemon off so he slowly removed the device in the most non-threatening manner he could.

The action proved to be unnecessary. The creature glanced at the device but continued to bounce around in excitement. It released its vines and began to play around with them as if it was the first time it's transformed into a bulbasaur.

As far as Ash knew, it was.

Ash pointed the device at the pokemon waiting patiently for it to stay still. "They say if a ditto starts laughing it can't hold its transformation. I've heard that's true for inexperienced or young ditto because it messes with their concentration but older ones have no problem with that. You're either an experienced ditto or…"

" _Bulbasaur the seed pokemon. A young bul-"_

"Dang." Ash grabbed a few locks of hair in disappointment upon hearing Dexter's assessment of the pokemon in front of him.

Technology was amazing but in this case it had failed him. Whatever pokemon it was it had completely replicated a bulbasaur enough to fool a pokedex.

Ash frowned. In order to learn more about a pokemon such as moves, sex, and other important details they would have to be a capture. So, if Ash captured this pokemon it would be able to tell him its move set.

If it's a ditto it would have all of Bulbasaur's moves and if not its own move set would be displayed. If it was the latter then those would only serve as clues to Ash on what it could be.

Or would the pokedex be able to tell what the pokemon was regardless on its current transformation? Ash thought on that question. It was highly likely that the pokemon wouldn't even be able to keep up its transformed state while in the confines of a pokeball. While trying to fight the energy trying to contain it no doubt it would lose its concentration.

In fact the more he thought about it, it sounded impossible for a pokemon to keep up its transformation while being captured.

Ash shrugged his shoulders as he realized there was only one way to answer the question. All his answers would come in time so all he needed to do was catch the pokemon. It was time to test his theory. Ash grabbed a spare poke ball off his belt, wanting to be prepared for his first possible capture.

For now he only knew one thing. He wanted this pokemon, whatever it may be.

"Bulbasaur, leech seed!" Ash shouted, surprising bulbasaur's copycat that was currently hanging upside down from a tree. Ash couldn't help but smile at the bizarre use of vines.

Bulbasaur happily fulfilled the order. The grass type opened its bulb and pumped two seeds out in quick succession, shooting them towards the pokemon with an accuracy that made Ash smile.

Bulbasaur's copy was caught off guard and at such an awkward angle it took the hit and fell to the forest floor with a thump. Slowly, the creature stood and when it did it shot Ash a hurt look. Ash couldn't help but wince, licking his lips as he felt some guilt.

"Tackle, and once you're up close sleep powder!" Ash watched as Bulbasaur charged his replica with his usual speed but the attack never got to make contact. A red light engulfed the creature and Ash began to panic.

"It's transforming! Quick, grab it!"

The creature transformed into a spearow and quickly put itself out of the reach of Bulbasaur's vines. Bulbasaur's vines were quite literally only a few inches too short of reach. Ash realized the current spearow had done it purposely when it let out a cocky screech.

Ash chalked that down to the creatures amazing depth perception. It had only been transformed into a bulbasaur for a few minutes but it had been more than enough time for it to gain valuable information.

Suddenly, Bulbasaur hurled himself at a nearby tree and launched himself, increasing his reach. The spearow saw the move coming and with a simple flap flew back.

With a flutter of its wings the creature took off before shooting Ash another look.

Ash and Bulbasaur made chase. They raced through the trees as Ash prayed they didn't lose sight of the bird.

Ash looked up high into the air able to see the glistening of red wings.

The spearow was so close…

Thump!

On the ground Ash rubbed his forehead for a second before jumping back up. He shot the tree he ran into a final glance before running after Bulbasaur who didn't notice his little incident.

Ten minutes later they broke into a small clearing.

"No!" Ash snarled as he frantically turned and checked every direction. Everywhere he looked he saw nothing but trees. No signs of pokemon, just trees. The only thing that filled the air was the whistling of the forest wind and the plant life around them.

Ash breathed in and out and finally ran a hand over his forehead. His fingers touched sweat but he froze as he felt a knot forming.

"It could be anywhere…"

Ash gasped for more breath as he realized another startling thing, "It could be _anything._ A spearow, caterpie, butterfree, pidgey, metapod, pikachu…" Ash paused to stop rambling out the many pokemon that inhabited the forest.

"Damnit!"

Beside him Bulbasaur grimaced but Ash could tell the loss didn't hurt him. If anything it was just a small blow to his pride on letting the pokemon escape. Ash watched Bulbasaur lazily gather leaves and flowers with his vines until eventually they resembled something soft that even Ash longed to rest on.

He frowned as he realized his starter was attempting a nap.

Ash didn't appreciate the lack of enthusiasm nor Bulbasaur giving up so easily. He needed something to motivate Bulbasaur but as the grass type began to lay down he realized he didn't have any bargaining chips.

Besides, Bulbasaur wasn't a tracker so their chances of finding a pokemon that didn't want to be found weren't looking too good.

A lightbulb went off in his head and he watched his starter begin to close his eyes.

"He shook us off so easily." Ash commented casually and then corrected, "Well, shook you off easily."

Bulbasaur snorted sarcastically but kept his eyes closed.

Ash held back his smile.

"Hey, I'm human, so it's a no brainer that he could lose me. But you, aren't you supposed to be fast or something?" Ash sighed as nonchalantly as possible as his breathing returned to normal.

Bulbasaur opened his eyes slowly, and eyed him curiously. But Ash was on a roll, even if Bulbasaur knew what he was doing his pride would give in. So all Ash needed was just one more push.

"Man, he was mocking you too! Being just out of reach of your vines, you had the element of surprise and you still couldn't get him!"

He watched the emotions appear on Bulbasaur's face…confusion…realization…then finally humiliation.

Bulbasaur took off and Ash allowed the grin to take over his face.

If all else failed he could always take advantage of Bulbasaur's enormous pride.

Ash checked his Xtransceiver and scowled when he realized they'd been searching for almost four hours. His stomach growled and Ash allowed his body to slump against a tree.

"Bulbasaur," he called out weakly. His starter ignored him, continuing to look for tracks, scent, anything really that could be useful. Ash smiled fondly before getting their dinner ready, Bulbasaur would join him eventually.

When the grass type did, Ash finally took a bite into his own sandwich.

"Don't worry, were not giving up. We just can't work on an empty stomach."

Bulbasaur nodded thoughtfully at that before finally giving in and eating. He ate quickly, realizing that this was valuable time they were wasting.

Halfway through his meal Bulbasaur froze.

Ash paused in the middle of his chewing to ask what was wrong. Sputters of food flew out his mouth and he licked his lips hastily to catch pieces sliding down his chin.

"Saur…" Bulbasaur whispered anxiously as his ruby eyes darted around their surroundings.

"We have company. How many?"

Bulbasaur's vine slid over to his hand and slowly glided a finger up. Ash nodded thoughtfully at that before taking another bite of his sandwich. "Will you be able to handle them if they become a problem?"

When Ash didn't get an answer he gulped down his food. Bulbasaur's face mirrored concentration.

"Hey, whatever pokemon it is it can't be that interesting right?" Ash began licking his fingers taking the time to look at Bulbasaur's face still scrunched in concentration. He smiled to himself, Bulbasaur was cute when serious about something.

Bulbasaur wasn't paying attention. Now his starter was too busy up and about as he hastily checked their surroundings.

For a few minutes Ash just watched him before finally Bulbasaur set his sights on one tree in particular.

The tree was large and old. Moss covered it from head to toe or at least as far as the darkness of the forest allowed him to see. The tree had brilliant coverage and even thicker branches.

Suddenly, Bulbasaur's vine lurched toward him and Ash closed his eyes in preparation as it grabbed his wrist and holstered him up. He rubbed his wrists tenderly and glared at Bulbasaur.

"You have got to stop manhandling me," Ash commented with a frown. He began stretching, figuring now was a good time to get back to work since he was done with his sandwich.

When Bulbasaur didn't answer him he shot the grass type a look. Ash would have expected at least a sarcastic snort in retort.

"Anyway, the only pokemon were looking for is that ditto. Well, actually I doubt it's a ditto but I don't know what else to call it so until I figure out what it is I'll refer to-" A vine slid over his mouth and put a halt to his blabbering.

Ash sputtered, trying to rid the taste of grass from his tongue. He ripped the vine off his lips, frowning because his mouth had been open. It tasted like he had just eaten a bowl of veggies without ranch or dressing.

Blah.

"Your vine tastes gross," Ash muttered.

Bulbasaur scoffed.

Ash smirked victoriously at the reaction and watched Bulbasaur's vine slither toward the tree and point at it vigorously. When Ash didn't catch on Bulbasaur turned to grunt at him and give him a pointed look.

A thought came to mind, but Ash calmed his beating heart. He didn't want to get his hopes up. "Is it him?"

"Saur," Bulbasaur confirmed.

That was all Ash needed to run up to the tree. His heart was in his throat as his deep brown eyes diligently searched the tree for any sign of life or movement.

"Could you come out please? I'm sorry for scaring you off like that. I guess I got overly excited and really wanted to know what kind of pokemon you are!"

A sudden rustle of leaves caught his gaze and Ash followed a dark figure with his eyes. As quick as it showed itself it was gone and Ash waited, watching the wind rustle the leaves, but it wasn't the movement he was waiting on.

He frowned as he debated over his next course of action.

It was clear that this pokemon was just as interested in them as he was with it. That much was clear since it stayed around. In fact, Ash wouldn't put it past this pokemon to have been following them on their entire search for it, always just barely out of reach.

It probably enjoyed watching them struggle.

Since it was already interested all Ash needed was the right button to push. Every pokemon had that button, Bulbasaur and Meowth had taught him that.

Ash thought about the pokemon food he had in his back pack and debated over using it for bribery. It was a good tactic, and if he needed to he would unashamedly result to it.

But first he had one last trick up his sleeve.

"I forgot to thank you for saving my life! Well, both of our lives if were technical," Ash pointed to Bulbasaur who rolled his ruby eyes. If Ash had died in the forest he didn't want to think about what would have happened to Bulbasaur's poke ball. It could have never been found. Either way, he would have never seen his beloved grass type again.

Ash smiled fondly at his starter before continuing, "I didn't think I would be so lucky to have my life saved, and by such a cool pokemon too!"

Ash dug circles into the dirt with his shoe. He couldn't help but feel silly as he shouted at a pokemon in a tree that he couldn't see and wouldn't respond back to him.

"I wanted to be friends," Ash ended lamely with a shrug of his shoulders.

Ash held his breath as he waited for a reaction. Mentally he slapped himself for such an uncool line, and Bulbasaur's unimpressed face certainly didn't help matters.

Just when he had decided to go over to his bag to get the food he saw it. The leaves rippled. Soft at first, unnoticeable unless you had been paying attention so closely like he had. The ripple got bigger and the crackle of the leaves tickled his ears.

Ash watched a pidgey burst from the darkness.

The pidgey flapped its wings lazily as it stared down at him and Ash marveled over how humiliating it would be if he'd been talking to the wrong pokemon this entire time.

Ash smiled in relief at the familiar red light that consumed the pidgey. He only had a split second to realize the pokemon had transformed into him again. Ash looked on in confusion as his copy began to descend to the ground at an alarming pace.

Ash panicked.

All he could do was stare at his copy in disbelief and halfheartedly throw his hands out as it crushed them like brittle noodles and used his entire body as a convenient cushion.

One moment Ash had been watching a pidgey soar in the air and the next he had been smooshed.

His copy cackled loudly, bringing Ash back to the world of the living. He realized he couldn't breathe and futilely he tried to push the pokemon off him as he pondered over the possibility of him having broken ribs…legs…or everything.

His doppelganger was in hysterics as it laughed and snorted uncontrollably. With a growl Bulbasaur dragged the pokemon off of him and Ash managed to croak out his gratitude through painful gasps of air.

Being pulled off of him in such a rough manner the pokemon didn't lose its amusement, still managing to clap and bounce excitedly. After a few minutes Ash got his bearings together and stood up carefully, still feeling winded.

He met delighted eyes and a smirk that looked too sneaky to be his own.

"You certainly know how to make an entrance huh?" He asked.

The pokemon responded by jumping onto him and trapping him in a crushing beartic hug. His copies legs wrapped themselves around his waist and its warm arms grabbed his neck, pulling their bodies closer than he thought was possible.

The momentum from the surprise hug had him falling on the ground again. Ash sighed in defeat upon being put in the same situation as before. He chuckled as he thought his destiny might just be to stay on the ground and be hugged by a pokemon he would never know the identity of.

With a smile on his face he slowly returned the hug. He didn't think he would have seen this pokemon again, let alone be in this situation with it. So, despite feeling like a crushed soda can, he was uncontrollably happy.

"I guess that means I'm forgiven?"

The pokemon rubbed its head into his neck affectionately and cooed into his ear in a way that Ash could only take as a yes.

"Ah," Ash winced painfully when the pokemon's elbow dug into his rib. His copy eyed him with concern before finally settling on licking his cheek.

For a couple seconds they stared at each other; Ash trying to decipher if the pokemon really thought that would help and the pokemon waiting for Ash to voice he felt better. Ash realized the pokemon was serious when it arched a bushy eyebrow expectantly. _His_ bushy eyebrow.

Right at that moment a vine encircled itself around the waist of his clone and tugged, hard. The pokemon grabbed onto him harder and shrieked out defiantly.

Ash couldn't help it anymore.

He burst out into laughter at the situation.

It was too much to take in and when he thought about what an outsider would think if they saw he could only laugh harder.

So, Ash laid back and laughed like a lunatic as he enjoyed the scene of Bulbasaur trying to pry off the pokemon stubbornly holding on to him.

ooo

" _Zorua, the tricky fox pokemon. Zorua hides its true form by changing its shape into people and pokemon, and loves to surprise people. Often, Zorua are known to change into the form of a silent child."_

"A Zorua!" Ash exclaimed. After finally being released from his soul crushing hug Ash spent hours trying to convince Zorua to show him its true form.

Imagine his surprise when the sneaky creature transformed into a pokemon he completely didn't recognize. It was clearly a fox but immediately Ash knew that it didn't originate from Kanto.

He had made it his business to know and recognize on sight all Kanto and Johto pokemon when studying for his license.

Before him was a small quadruped fox pokemon, bearing dark gray fur with red and black accents. Pointed ears bore the color black on the inside as well as its bushy, slightly springy tail. Then there was its thick furry collar that it wore like a fashionable scarf. It too was as black as the Viridian forest's night.

On top of its head was a tuft of fur that swirled up resembling ice cream as it blended into a red. That trait in particular made him grin.

Interesting enough Zorua's eyelids were red, as well as its small tear drop shaped eyebrows. The pokemon's four legs all bore red at the very bottom toward its paws.

Overall Zorua looked so cool Ash didn't understand why it would ever want to transform into anything other than itself.

Though Ash's favorite part was undoubtedly its eyes. They were a brilliant shade of green, his favorite color. Emerald to be specific and Ash loved how well they conveyed the mischief and emotion the pokemon was currently feeling.

Ash put a finger on his chin as he tried to guess whether the fox originated from Unova or not. With a shrug he realized it didn't really matter. What he did know was that this pokemon was ridiculously rare and impossible to find.

The amount of trainers that have them could probably be tallied in a few minutes if they were documented captures.

For those reasons alone, it's a pokemon researchers and scientist sell their souls for a chance to study. So, as much as he was happy about Zorua's sudden appearance in his life it didn't make any sense. Why was he in Kanto?

Ash needed more information.

So he replayed Dexter's explanation of Zorua hoping something obvious would smack him in the face.

" _Zorua, the tricky fox pokemon. Zorua hides its true form by changing its shape into people and pokemon, and loves to surprise people. Often, Zorua are known to change into the form of a silent child."_

"Silent child," Ash mused quietly.

At those words Zorua crackled humorously. The sneaky creature began its transformation, and Ash used to its antics of frequent changes over the last few hours didn't pay it any mind as he searched Dexter for more clues.

A finger tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hm?" Ash inquired before turning around and looking into a young child's face.

A little girl to be specific. Going off her stature and build he would guess her to be between six and eight. She had extremely thick long hair the color of blood that went past her butt and mischievous green eyes.

Mischievous... green…eyes. Zorua snickered before offering a soon to be infamous grin. Ash titled his head trying to figure out where he recognized the little girl from.

Zorua giggled, brought its leg back and kicked the air ferociously.

That was when the recognition hit him like a fist.

"It's you!" Ash finally exclaimed, pointing rudely as he picked his jaw up from the floor.

The scene of a little girl shamelessly kicking a man in his privates and then being chased down Viridian's streets came to mind. To think that the very same girl was a pokemon, and right before him too.

Fate had a funny way of doing things.

For just a few minutes Ash gave Zorua a new appreciative stare down as he comprehended everything. He was a lucky person, he could no longer deny that fact. Not only had he been fortunate enough to have his life saved by a rare pokemon from a faraway region but now he was graced with its presence and they were friends.

Zorua began to pester Bulbasaur to play with her and with a halfhearted shove of his vine she finally gave up and allowed him to enjoy his nap. Ash realized that Zorua was growing on Bulbasaur because he was relaxing around the tricky fox. That and because he wasn't being rough.

In just a day Zorua had grown on Bulbasaur quicker than Meowth had. Then again, Meowth had attacked them so Bulbasaur's judgment was rightfully bias, so did this count?

Ash frowned at the thought of Meowth. He missed the shy cat and still regretted not being able to say good bye. While his conversation about Meowth's owners had smoothed him over a bit he still felt unease.

The situation didn't feel as resolved as he wanted it to. Besides, he had his heart set on Meowth and he would be lying if he said he hadn't looked up what would happen if a pokemon's owner didn't come to claim them in a center.

Ash imagined a picture of him holding Meowth's limp body and frowned. He had been so small and his fur had been so dirty and unrefined. "I hope he's taking care of his coat," he mused.

Enough to startle him into a jump two dainty fingers found themselves on his face and forcefully pushed his frown into a smile. Ash blinked rapidly into the frowning face of Zorua, still transformed into a little girl.

Zorua shook her head no before pointing at Bulbasaur and frowning. She then proceeded to point at Ash and smile as if trying to make some kind of point.

Ash understood the point immediately.

"You're right, frowning is Bulbasaur's job." Ash smiled as big as his worrying thoughts allowed and Zorua rewarded him by throwing something in his hair and skipping away.

"Thanks," Ash mumbled, running a hand through his thick hair to take out the flower and inspect it. It was pink and Ash debated over getting rid of it before putting it back in his head where Zorua had left it.

He wouldn't want to hurt his new friend's feelings.

Zorua was playful and affectionate.

Ash took his gaze to Bulbasaur who was napping over a makeshift bed.

Bulbasaur was prideful and hesitant.

Ash allowed his mind to wander back to his favorite feline. He had never taken himself for a cat person. In fact as he mulled over fire types he could often picture a loyal growlithe by his side barking in agreement.

Now that image seemed wrong and he much preferred the vision of a prissy cat meowing and licking its coat. Ash reached into his pocket and he rubbed his thumb over a marble that didn't belong in his possession anymore.

No, not a cat, but Meowth.

He wanted shy and sweet Meowth.

Ash smiled at the three completely different personalities he had met so far in his journey. Three completely different pokemon in both biology and mannerism.

They were so different that he felt blessed. Blessed for the opportunity and hopeful that so much more would come.

He prayed to whatever gods that were listening, Mew perhaps, that someday somehow he would reunite with Meowth. On that same day he prayed harder that some way somehow they wouldn't have to part.

Zorua's delighted laughter brought him to the end of his thoughts.

Until that day he would enjoy the company of the two pokemon he was with.

As Zorua pranced and skipped around the field of flowers Ash found himself more and more amazed with the power of transformation.

He had never thought such a place would exist within Viridian forest. So far he'd only seen the murky void it had to offer. The shade that lurked above his head and added to the eerie feeling and creepy whistle of the wind. The glowing eyes, the scurrying of frantic, terrified pokemon. The poison was everywhere and the threat was everywhere.

Though as a field of flowers the place contradicted the forest's very existence.

Dusk was approaching and the sun descended from the sky. Despite that there was an opening that allowed a glow to pour into the clearing. Ash suspected it might be the only place in the entire forest with a gap that allowed sunlight.

Who knew he would run into a place that reeked of joy. The field was beautiful and colorful and something he thought he would only see within his dreams. Bright yellows all the way to dusty blues and murky red's there was every color flower imaginable.

And he had found it by staying off the path, and accidentally getting them lost.

He joined Zorua in the field and as the creature twirled and danced the pollen and other sticky residue found its way to his face. Ash blinked it away and opened his eyes to the sight of Zorua shining, as if caught ablaze.

He eyed the pretty white dress on Zorua and a sudden thought came to mind. His fingers went through his hair to touch the pink flower.

"Zorua, are you a girl?"

Zorua took his hands into its own and began spinning. He went along with the pokemon, allowing himself to be spun as the varying rays of colors began to flash into view and disappear before they became one and gave him a headache.

When he had spun enough he released Zorua's hands and carefully sat down. His throat was dry and he was thankful to not be one to give into allergies. It was spring, leaning to summer, so flowers and plants were in full bloom.

With a plop Zorua fell beside him crushing a bundle of pretty blue daisies. Zorua had what Ash believed to be a permanent grin on her face and found herself yawning and cuddling closer to Ash.

He had assumed Zorua to be a boy, not really thinking over the question with much interest. That was before learning that she preferred a girl child transformation over a boy. Plus, Zorua was extremely affectionate.

He didn't mind Zorua being a girl, in fact he found it refreshing in a way. He'd yet to come across any female pokemon he liked.

Just to be sure Ash asked one more time.

"So, you're a girl?" Ash smiled as Zorua sleepily nodded her head, digging into his chest for a more comfortable position.

Ash allowed her to adjust as he tenderly ran his fingers through her thick hair. He knew Zorua had fallen asleep when she transformed back to her original state.

Soon, he too fell asleep.

ooo

"He's getting frustrated," Ash muttered to Zorua who sighed in agreement.

At a safe distance they sat on the sidelines as they watched Bulbasaur train. The next move on the list to learn was razor leaf and to say Bulbasaur was having a difficult time would be a gross understatement.

Ash had never seen a razor leaf attack before, at least not one before his eyes. When Bulbasaur had admitted to not seeing one either the two friends had stared at each other at a lost. That had been yesterday, and that was just a small indicator of the obstacle that was to come.

Ash could name three lines of Kanto pokemon that could use the attack naturally and one was the bulbasaur line. Bulbasaur's were rare, and their evolved forms even rarer as they seldom get the chance to grow to maturity in the wild.

The other two lines were bellsprout and chikorita, the latter not being a Kanto registered pokemon but since sponsors usually offered them in place of the bulbasaur line Ash was counting them.

The bellsprout line weren't very popular, to say the least. If he had to choose a pokemon to compare a bellsprout with it would be a magikarp. When referencing the two pokemon words like 'lame' and 'pitiful' are often used and those were the nicer ones that came to mind.

Through great training and dedication bellsprout's final evolved form was a decent grass type in its own right. Ash could remember one that competed in the Indigo Plateau a few years back that had dropped jaws and sparked a nationwide discussion. For an entire year Pallet Town kids had reminisced over the formidable grass type and ushered how a bellsprout was the way to go.

Point. Blank. Period.

Ash had been no exception, and could you blame him? That victreebel had defeated an arcanine in front of _millions_. A freaking _arcanine_!

If Ash hadn't seen it on live television with his own eyes he would have never believed it. The trainer that lost their arcanine in a fair fight with a victreebel had been dragged in the press and the interview where he attempted to explain arcanine being recently evolved had only made matters worse.

Ash stopped his thoughts as he realized he was fanboying.

Anyway, just like magikarp very few trainers are willing to go through the embarrassment and dedication it took to reach that potential. So, bellsprout remain unfavorable, thrown into the large pile of lackluster pokemon.

Ash licked his lips as another Kanto grass type capable of using razor leaf came to mind.

Leafeon.

Ash smiled as a fond memory of one of eevee's unappreciated evolved forms came to mind. Most trainers with eevee's chose to evolve them into an espeon, especially since a stone isn't needed.

Acquiring a psychic type was extremely difficult and training one into capitalizing on its latent potential was even more challenging. Trainers blessed enough to have an eevee in their arsenal often choose to evolve them into an espeon, which was the most preferred eevee evolution.

Though, vaporeon and flareon don't fall too far behind in terms of popularity.

A few years back when Ash was working on Professor's Oak's ranch a trainer the old man was currently sponsoring had stopped by. Quickly the children had gathered to harass the older boy and like most who loved attention, the trainer had soaked in the admiring eyes of the younger children like a sponge.

He had elected to show them his leafeon and that was the first and only time Ash had seen one in person.

Leafeon had been dainty and nature looking. That was the best way Ash knew how to describe her. Though most of all he remembered her beautiful coat and the longing in her eyes. Surrounded by the grubby hands of children she had seemed out of her element, almost like she wanted to run off into the woods and live out the rest of her days there.

At peace with the world and in solitude surrounded by the mossy life that was nature.

Despite Ash's dislike for Viridian forest Bulbasaur's ease with the environment had been noticed immediately. Bulbasaur had acted in the same way he imagined the leafeon would if she were in her desired place.

Bulbasaur was in tune with the forest and since entering this place this was the first time Ash had seen him so…in touch with himself.

For the last few hours Zorua and Ash watched worriedly as Bulbasaur attempted to form a single solid razor leaf. They haven't had such luck.

In fact, a couple hours earlier while trying to create the desired texture that would turn into a razor leaf Bulbasaur had accidentally spilled sleep powder on himself and promptly fell asleep. After being awakened by Ash and Zorua, Bulbasaur spent the next hour embarrassed, which only hurt his concentration more.

The pokedex wasn't very helpful either. The explanation on razor leaf was sound but the advice on how to teach a pokemon the move was extremely less than clear.

It was frustrating watching for the first time his one and only pokemon struggle with a move. All he could do was offer guidance but everything else was up to Bulbasaur. Ash couldn't figure out how to perform the move for his starter.

Zorua gasped out in surprise and Ash turned in time to watch Bulbasaur slump to the ground in defeat.

Ash stumbled to his feet, preparing to go encourage and help his starter. A soft clammy hand halted him. Ash tried to break the contact but Zorua just gave him a comforting squeeze. Ash hesitated and eyed Bulbasaur a moment longer.

When a minute passed he sat back down as he realized the look on Bulbasaur's face wasn't defeat, but concentration. He shot Zorua an appreciative glance and she smirked in response.

Really, he had been surprised by how mature she was acting when he had announced it was time to train. She sat quietly and watched, and after knowing her for a couple days Ash realized just how difficult that was for her to do for hours. But Zorua was a trooper, and she gave Bulbasaur her unwavering support.

Ash looked on in concern.

"I hope he can get this down before our first gym battle," Ash whispered quietly. The last thing he wanted was for Bulbasaur to hear him and doubt himself more than he already was.

After another half hour their patience was finally rewarded. Slowly, halfheartedly something shot out Bulbasaur's bulb at the same speed a slowpoke would use to run. Ash stood excitedly but after a couple minutes it became clear nothing else was coming out.

Ash marched his way over to Bulbasaur and his starter opened his eyes, huffing in clear disappointment. Ash checked the immediate surroundings and when he couldn't find what came out of Bulbasaur's bulb it dawned on him that his starter must be sitting on it to hide it.

"Show me it," Ash encouraged with a playful shove. Despite the situation he couldn't help but be amused at Bulbasaur's shyness. It was unlike him and Ash braced himself to see a work of art that didn't live up to Bulbasaur's standards or a complete and utter failure.

Bulbasaur groaned in protest and stubbornly laid out his stomach and stretched his stubby legs.

The message was clear; make me.

Ash blinked rapidly at the unexpected childishness.

Beside him Zorua pointed at Bulbasaur and laughed mockingly.

So much for being mature…

Then again he had to give Zorua credit, she had held it in for a long time.

Bulbasaur gave Zorua a death glare and Ash couldn't help but notice a vine creeping toward the fox. Ash decided to step in and save Zorua from whatever Bulbasaur was planning.

"Well, you can't expect to be a natural at everything," Ash commented. Bulbasaur switched his crimson eyes back on his trainer and Ash patted his head affectionately. "I doubt it's as bad as you're making it out to be, so show me."

Trainer and pokemon locked eyes and Bulbasaur looked away first. A couple more seconds and Bulbasaur stood up and finally handed over the result of his hours of training.

Ash hesitantly ran his finger along the single razor leaf. It was dull, extremely so, to the point that Ash wasn't sure if he could get a paper cut with it by slashing with all his strength.

Ash twisted the razor leaf to a different angle noticing that the coloring was also off.

Bulbasaur still needed it to be sharp. And then he would need to be able to produce hundreds at a time. Not to mention he would need to learn to shoot them, accurately and at a moving target.

They had a long way to go. Ash suspected they were looking at weeks of work and in the back of his mind he was wondering if it would be beneficial or distracting to attempt to teach Bulbasaur another move simultaneously.

Despite all this Ash smiled, and recognized the progress for what it was. He tipped Bulbasaur's head up and looking into his starter's ashamed eyes and said, "Good work, I'm proud of you."

ooo

They were close to the end of the forest. His xtransceiver told him they were just a little under eight hours of travel from entering Pewter's outskirts. Despite that they would have to spend another night in the forest because it would be dusk soon but Ash didn't mind that too much.

He was enjoying his time with Bulbasaur and Zorua. The last few days that he's traveled with Zorua were a blast but Ash didn't know what would happen once they left the forest.

In fact he was scared to mention it.

"Zorua." Ash called out to the dark type to get her attention. She was pestering Bulbasaur, poking at him with her vines, as she was currently transformed into a bulbasaur as well.

Bulbasaur had enough when she smacked his hide with enough force that he could no longer ignore her. The action was just one of many that made Ash question her age. Was she young, or were all of the creatures in her line so…playful?

Bulbasaur took his vines and grabbed her, hauling her up and throwing her as far as his strength allowed. Zorua squealed in delight as she landed with a soft platter onto a convenient bush.

Ash eyed Bulbasaur for a moment as he tried to decipher if Zorua's landing platform was merely coincidental or planned. Either way, Zorua jumped off the bush without a scratch and shook off loose twigs in a manner that made him chuckle.

Once she was done with that she transformed into her favorite persona, the silent child. Ash noticed that whenever she transformed into the little girl she didn't wear shoes and as she skipped over to him this time was no exception.

Ash smiled, glad that Zorua could take the warning for what it was. Bulbasaur was patient, but Zorua had yet to see his wrath. Ash wanted to prolong that situation as long as he could.

Zorua pranced behind him and Ash cried out in surprise to the sudden weight on his back.

"You want a piggy back ride huh?" Ash twisted his neck at an angle in time to catch Zorua's dangerous grin. She tightened her arms around his neck and Ash stopped to adjust her into a more comfortable position.

"Well, If you answer some questions I'd be happy to give you one," Ash said evenly as he continued to walk at a slightly slower pace.

Zorua shoved three small fingers into his face and Ash lowered it. "Just three," he faked a whine and Zorua snickered in response.

"Well, you strike a hard bargain Zorua, but you've got yourself a deal."

Zorua cheered in agreement and Ash took his time to think of his first question.

"Have you…been having fun hanging out with us these last few days?"

Up ahead Bulbasaur stopped walking to glance behind him. Ash couldn't decipher the emotion in his starter's eyes before the grass type turned away and kept walking.

Ash felt heat creep up his neck. The heat intensified when Zorua tightened her grip and licked his cheek in response. Ash turned his neck to catch her doe like gaze.

She was oddly reassuring, and as she yipped out a happy retort Ash responded.

"I've been having fun with you too…" Ash stopped to adjust Zorua once more, "A lot of fun," he quickly clarified.

Zorua wiggled in excitement upon hearing that and happily threw up two fingers to show Ash how many questions he had left.

Ash laughed, staring at Bulbasaur's sturdy form as he asked his next question. "Were leaving the forest soon. Bulbasaur and I are headed to Pewter. Remember how I told you I was a trainer?"

Zorua hummed her remembrance.

Ash cleared his throat, "Yea, so were going to challenge our first gym there. Then we'll be off to the next, and by this time next year we'll be preparing for a big tournament…the Indigo Plateau."

"Yea, were going to fight in the Indigo Plateau…and were going to win," Ash declared.

Zorua held up one finger.

Ash frowned as he realized she had counted his off topic question. "Wait, that one doesn't count!" He protested.

For the next couple minutes they got into a lighthearted argument on whether the question counted or not. When it was over Ash had won back his question with the promise of a berry for Zorua.

Pamtre berries, they were her favorite.

"Anyway, so Bulbasaur and I are going to Pewter. So where will you be headed after we leave the forest?"

Ash couldn't help but be filled with giddiness when the dark type on his shoulders sniffed and shrugged her shoulders.

So, Zorua didn't know where she was headed.

Ash paused, knowing exactly what question he wanted to ask next.

 _Would you like to come with us?_

Ash tried to contain his excitement by licking his lips. To think that he had a real good shot at Zorua coming with them. If Ash played his cards right Zorua would become a member of his team. Back in Viridian when he had seen her running from those two men he had no clue that their fates had been intertwined.

Ash frowned.

Being chased by two men…

The third and final question came out before he could help himself.

"Zorua, who were those men chasing you?"

While awaiting an answer that never came the next few seconds were a blur to Ash.

In a manner that reminded him of when Zorua had crashed into him to save him from the flock of spearow he was knocked to the ground with Zorua still holding on to him. As a result the fall had been awkward, and Ash had landed on his arm, crushing it with his weight because it was still tucked under Zorua's leg.

Despite the surprise and pain he got up quickly, only for a blur to rush past him. Ash turned quickly to see Zorua running away just to be caught in a painful bite by what Ash now recognized as some canine pokemon.

Ash did a double take. Quickly his eyes went to find Bulbasaur who was growling threateningly at their unwelcomed company. His starter released his vines and another pokemon Ash didn't recognize entered the fray.

In the few seconds Ash had to analyze the new pokemon he knew immediately that it belonged to the same line of the one that attacked him and Zorua. It was significantly bigger and their coat patterns had their differences but regardless they were from the same evolutionary line.

Ash didn't have time to shout out an order to Bulbasaur when he got distracted by Zorua's howl. She screamed again, and Ash paled at the sound. It had never registered to him that a pokemon like Zorua could make such a painful noise.

"Get off her!" Ash shouted angrily, rushing over with the intent to forcefully remove the unfamiliar pokemon from Zorua.

The unknown pokemon released Zorua and retreated quickly, though not before growling at Ash threateningly. Ash bucked at the normal type and the thing snarled at him in retaliation. It pounced at him and Ash threw up his hands to prepare for the blow.

Luckily, Bulbasaur was there to pry his way between the canine's sharp jaws and Ash's flesh. Bulbasaur jumped onto the dog type and the two fell on the ground in a scuffle. A pitiful whine filled the air but Ash couldn't make out who it belonged to. Soon, the two pokemon were rolling around, kicking up dirt and making it hard for Ash to distinguish who would come out on top.

Ash eyed the growing dust cloud worriedly before his gaze caught Zorua's unmoving body. He eyed the dust cloud once more, and decided to put his faith in his starter.

"Zorua!"

Before Zorua could stand or Ash could reach her a peculiar looking net shot from the air and snagged the dark type. Zorua cried out again and Ash was running, trying to get to the fox as quick as possible.

When he reached the net he eyed the strange material with hesitance. It clearly wasn't made out of the standard substance as a classic one. The rope looked oddly tough like it wouldn't be cut by a simple blade.

Either way, when Ash gazed into Zorua's helpless eyes, determination struck him. He dug into his pocket with haste and grabbed his knife. It didn't matter what the material was, he was getting his friend out of there.

"Don't touch that net, boy!" Not having a chance to cut the net, Ash turned to the condescending tone. Two men had joined the scene and Ash quickly deduced they were the ones from Viridian city that he had seen Zorua with.

Or more accurately chased her.

In the background he could still hear the on goings of Bulbasaur's fight. Ash eyed the pokeballs on the two men's belts and deduced that he was outnumbered here.

A howl took the attention of the group and Ash's lips quirked in hope when he saw Bulbasaur begin to overtake his opponent. Though just as that hope had come it had been smooshed and thrown out with the trash as the other pokemon that had previously been just watching joined the fight.

The two pokemon attacked Bulbasaur as one. Flanking both his sides, Bulbasaur tried to keep them at a distance with his vines, but that plan went downhill the second one evaded the attack and got too close for comfort. Bulbasaur had turned to deal with the bigger one and the other one took that moment of distraction as an opportunity to attack.

Before long, Ash watched as his starter got pinned down and ganged up on. Ash scowled in disgust, they were outnumbered and their attackers were taking advantage. Ash took in the sight of Bulbasaur's battered body and the more time went by he grew concerned at Bulbasaur's lack of resistance.

"Call them off!" Ash ordered with a snarl. Finally, Bulbasaur's pride gave in and his starter took to crying out in pain. Ash, angered by the sound yelled again, "I said call them off!"

The two men eyed him for a second then focused their attention back on the beating. Ash fumbled with his poke ball and attempted to return Bulbasaur but it was impossible with the current angle and with the two pokemon blocking him.

Bulbasaur screamed.

Ash panicked.

"Stop it! Please!"

The men were scum. They were scum, and Ash didn't know what to do about it. He felt powerless. Not even capable of saving his only pokemon.

Ash licked his lips and eyed the knife in his hand. Trying to ignore the sound of Bulbasaur's beating he finally took to trying to cut the net.

Immediately when he applied force his body convulsed in agony as the electricity entered his nervous system. It entered from his hands and despite letting go immediately he could feel each and every volt travel through his body.

It went up his arms and once reaching his shoulders split, some toward the lower half of his body and the rest toward his brain. It wasn't until the tips of his toes wiggled and the electricity fizzled into nothingness did he slump to the ground.

A few minutes passed and all he could do was focus on the drool sliding down his chin reaching the blades of grass.

He failed to notice everything else.

Zorua's frantic wails, and Bulbasaur's angered scream. The pokemon trying to beat him into submission and his stubborn starter fighting back resiliently.

When he dared to open one eye and his hearing finally came back to him he noticed something. One of the men, the one Zorua had kneed in his privates walking up to him slowly, the way a hunter approaches prey when they are at the end of their rope.

Teasingly.

Ash from his current spot could only see the man from an upside down positon and this only added to his growing headache. The man stopped just short of Ash's head before bending down to peer down at him. He must of saw something that pleased him because he closed his eyes in relief and breathed out.

He stood back to his full height and glanced over where Ash assumed the other man to be.

"I told him not to touch the net." The man looked fuzzy but Ash could still make out the nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

Ash attempted to sit up, but a lurch from his stomach halted that plan in its track. With a groan, he was able to pathetically roll onto his stomach so at least if he threw up he wouldn't choke on his own barf.

Zorua was crying again, and this was what finally motivated Ash to a sitting position. Just as he got to into one he could see both the men leering at her.

"Let her go," Ash croaked out.

He was ignored.

"You really sent us on a wild chase there, didn't you Zorua? We found you though… Herdier and Stoutland made sure of that."

Zorua whined and wriggled against the rope but the sudden movement caused her to be electrocuted.

The second man chuckled at Zorua and brought two fingers to his lips. A low straining whistle escaped and in sync the two dogs ran to their master's side. The muscular man bended over and fondly ran his fingers through the bigger dog's fur eliciting a happy hum from the mutt.

"What do you want for her?" Ash asked, finally finding the strength to stand. Bulbasaur reached his side, and helped to steady him but Ash kept his attention on the men. They had an agenda, they had to, and he knew it.

"Money." One of the men said simply. After that the two men turned to him and for the first time regarded him with interest.

"I have savings…you can have it all, "Ash stressed with urgency, wincing when his insides twisted painfully.

"How much do you have…if it's not in the hundreds of thousands…no…millions then don't even bothering mentioning it."

Ash blinked at the ridiculous sum of money. His hope of paying these men off dried up like a grape under the summer's sun.

"Zorua here is a rare specimen you see? Her species are hard to find…plus only about twelve percent of them are girls. She's too valuable."

The other man smirked and clapped his partner on the back obnoxiously, "She's going to make us very rich men, and launch our careers!"

"Careers?"

"Were pokemon hunters…obviously, but what we do is entirely legal, so don't go getting your hopes up."

Ash was getting desperate. "I can get the money for you! Somehow…I don't know how but…!"

"It's not just about the money kid. We need Zorua to make our names known and that's why we're debuting her at an auction."

He nudged his partner. "Give the boy a flyer, will ya Sam?"

The other man snorted. "Not like he'll ever be able to afford her."

The man slid a flyer into Ash's hand and he studied it. Celadon city… nearly three months from now there would be some fancy auction. Exotic pokemon being the main attraction.

"Three months…" Ash whispered in despair. He searched his mind desperately for a solution but none came to him.

"Return her to her pokeball." Sam shuffled, feeling bored with the entire situation.

The other man took out a pokeball and before Zorua was encased in red light he yelled, "Zorua, I'll get you! I promise!"

As Ash watched those gloomy green eyes disappear all he could wonder was whether she had heard him, and more importantly if she believed him.

As much as Ash wanted to just take Zorua's pokeball and make a run for it he couldn't. What those men had done was legal and Zorua was rightfully in their ownership. Besides, he wouldn't be able to fight them off.

Bulbasaur could barely fend himself against two of their pokemon and he'd seen more pokeballs on their belts.

"The circumstances are going to prevent you from believing us, but were not bad people, kid. If we were, we would have stolen your bulbasaur and left you here to die."

Ash never responded, and with shrugs the two men looked at each other and walked off. Ash watched with despair as the men disappeared into the coverage of the forest, their voices and presence just a mere memory.

After that Ash stayed frozen for a long time. Bulbasaur remained silent, and Ash had been vaguely aware of his gaze. Eventually, he found the strength to crumple to the ground in a pathetic fetal position. When he could no longer ignore his numb face and his shivering body he finally broke out his sleeping bag.

That night for the first time, Bulbasaur slept with him. Staring into the gloom of nothingness a wet nose had nudged him and when he failed to move or respond Bulbasaur forced his way into the sleeping bag.

Ash felt conflicted being cloaked in Bulbasaur's warmth for the first time. It felt vast and infinite and yet there was a sense of loneliness he couldn't rid from his heart. The intimate moment he had longed for had been tainted by the bitter circumstances that brought it.

Still, Ash was grateful. Bulbasaur was trying. For him, Bulbasaur was trying and that only fueled the love and devotion he held for his first pokemon. His starter. His grass type. Hopefully, his best friend who would never leave his side.

Under the forest's sky Bulbasaur took his hand and held it with his vine. Lured by the melody of whistling leaves, sleep finally took him.

ooo

Crouched behind the bush Ash and Bulbasaur stayed silent as they watched the scene unfold.

There was a lone spearow in the middle.

The judge, jury, and prosecutor in one stood high and mighty before the spearow.

Fearow.

They were at the edge of the Viridian forest, but of course with their dreaded luck they wouldn't be able to leave peacefully. Blocking their swift exit was the flock that they had been able to avoid since their first encounter.

Over the last few hours Ash hadn't spoken much. It felt as if he was just going through the motions, carefully following Bulbasaur's lead and not touching anything that looked suspicious. Strange enough Bulbasaur had done most of the talking, although it was just about directions.

Ash answered his starter with a nod or mumble of his words. The topic of Zorua had been avoided like the plague.

Ash felt the bags under his eyes after a horrible nights rest. His eyes felt puny and shriveled from all the crying he did and all Ash could wonder was who in the universe was out to get him so much.

Because so far they were doing a marvelous job.

First Meowth.

Then Zorua.

Despite his somber mood Ash watched Bulbasaur like a pidgeot, refusing to let his only pokemon out of sight. He couldn't help but ask himself if this pokemon leave him somehow too?

Regardless, Ash felt drained and defeated.

It took a while but he found a small patch of fabric on his jeans that was fairly clean and wiped his hand on it. Carefully, he rubbed out some dirt that had moved into his eyes.

Repels did their job but only to an extent. More than that Bulbasaur and him had been relying on camouflage to mask their smell and deceive any threats sight.

Ash parted the bushes again and his eyes widened at the terrifying sight before him. That was when the squawks and calls reached his ears, just as the fearow had made its verdict and descended upon the spearow.

Defiant and proud, spearow stood there and took his beating from his leader.

After a few minutes, Fearow finally backed off of the spearow. Despite a slight limp and a pathetic wobble, the spearow needed little time to get itself together, hopping to its two feet immediately.

Even with its injuries Spearow glared at its leader challengingly, and if not for the gap of power and size, Ash would have been fooled into thinking it had a chance. Spearow's glossy eyes glinted, and Ash couldn't help the edge of his lips from lifting.

 _This pokemon wasn't afraid to stand up to its leader._

While Ash had no clue what Spearow had done to receive its leaders wrath he had several punishment's in mind.

A public beating.

That was one of the first that had come to mind with the rest of the flock staring on. Fearow was making an example out of Spearow, for whatever it had done, or dared to try and do.

Fearow shrieked, and it was unlike the calls from before and made Ash narrow his eyes at the gut wrenching sound.

 _What did it mean?_

Fearow span out his wings to their full length, disturbing the air around him. Gloriously, like a deity he stared down at Spearow with all the wrath he could elect in a single scowl. For a moment time stood still, as if allowing the entire world to take in the moment and savor it.

The moment was gone the second Fearow pulled his wings back in and engulfed Spearow. Fearow thrashed at Spearow with his wings trapping it to the ground and removing its ability to take flight. Spearow wiggled on the ground pointlessly trying to attack and simultaneously defend itself.

Though any blow it got in was brushed off with ease.

The longer it went on it got so bad to the point that Spearow couldn't even fight back as it was pushed around. All it could do was dodge as it bounced along the forest floor to avoid Fearow's beak.

When a tinier shriek filled the air, Ash couldn't help but turn away. It was Spearow, and it was a pitiful sound that made Ash uncomfortable at the sight of the beating.

Ash whipped his head back in time to see Fearow retreat from Spearow's form. Spearow stood, beaten and bloody, with whatever dignity it still possessed.

Ash gulped, horrified when the fearow leered its head back, aimed its long beak and with disgustingly perfect precision jammed it into spearow's eye.

Ash looked on in horror as the flesh was plopped out, and thrown onto the floor in an unrecognizable state. That had been Spearow's eye.

Ash looked away the moment the gushing blood entered his sight.

Ash realized it was no longer a public beating. If Fearow wanted to make good use out of this bird in his flock then he would have spared Spearow's eyes. After all a flying type without its sight was better off dead.

So, he swallowed that idea and came up with a new theory; exile. For life.

Ash turned back to see Spearow flailing on the ground like a magikarp fresh out of water. Its body shook violently and its _scream_ brought Ash's body to a tremble he hadn't ever experienced in his life. His spine shivered with fear and his eyes watered painfully.

That scream would haunt him for weeks to come.

In Spearow's current condition he could do nothing to protect himself from what was to come. Fearow jumped, and landed casually onto a branch. A single noise escaped his beak, and as one all the spearow around him jumbled around like those would in anticipation for a fight.

He counted five.

Five spearow jumped from their branches to take to flying as they performed aerial acrobatics and sang a harmonious tune. The entire scene was eerie in how ritualistic it seemed.

Like daggers, they penetrated the air without remorse as they made their descent to Spearow.

They were five blurs and when they all landed and began their beating Ash finally understood.

This wasn't a public beating.

Nor was it exile.

This was an execution.

There was no mercy, and Spearow still wringing painfully on the ground wasn't aware of what hit him until it _literally_ hit him.

Like bullets, the rest of the flock joined and shot right toward spearow with gross familiarity that told Ash this situation happened enough for them to jump right into it with no qualms.

Some smaller spearow remained, perhaps fresh hatchlings? They looked on with curiosity as they learned the inner workings of their flock.

None of the spearow had any intention to stop, and Spearow took the hits one after the other, never having a chance to even attempt to flee.

"His flock is going to kill him…this…it's not right." Beside him Bulbasaur nodded in agreement. Ash turned to look at Bulbasaur who was eyeing him expectantly.

Why was his starter staring at him like that?

"I don't want this."

When the words left his mouth, Bulbasaur stood with haste. With a determined expression he parted the bushes and took a step out.

Before he could make his presence known, Ash lurched forward to grab one of his stubby legs. He yanked and Bulbasaur yielded, coming back with confusion in his irises.

Ash took his gaze to Fearow who was perched on a branch watching the scene unfold. Ash sighed in relief, their presence hadn't been noticed.

In simplest terms what Ash was witnessing were pokemon in their natural habitat. This was nature, nothing more or less.

There are those among the scientific pokemon community who believe that situations like this people have no business interfering with. Nature had a system, and it worked, and whenever people involve themselves they mess with the balance of it, even with good intentions.

Before, Ash had never had an opinion on those matters.

As one, dozens upon dozens of spearow attacked the lone misfit of the flock and it was then that Ash realized that he was not one of them.

Through the clawing, scratching, and plucks, the lone spearow wasn't even noticeable as the group of spearow created a huge, rotating ball of red and brown that danced around a single unmovable body.

This, he didn't want to witness.

The true nature of pokemon.

While he had read about it, this was his first time witnessing how malicious they could be to one of their own. Would he have been happier staying in the dark about this?

Bulbasaur wasn't strong enough to take on team rocket. He wasn't even strong enough to take on the pokemon of those two pokemon hunters who took Zorua so then how would he take on an entire flock?

He didn't want to lose his only pokemon.

Not after losing Meowth, and not after losing Zorua.

He couldn't lose Bulbasaur.

"No, it's not our place to interfere." He frowned as the first lie he's ever told his starter slipped from his lips. If he told Bulbasaur that he thought they didn't stand a chance there was no telling what his grass type would do with his pride wounded.

Ash agonized over the realization that he wasn't strong enough to save Spearow.

That he wasn't brave enough to even try.

Ash swallowed as he waited for it all to end.

As much as Spearow's public execution bothered him he couldn't find it in himself to look away. He couldn't even help this pokemon because of his own cowardice, so now the least he could do was watch till the end. See for his own eyes what he could have possibly prevented.

Finally, after what felt like a century, Fearow stood from his branch and took off to fly away. One after the other, the spearow broke away from the group to fly off and follow their leader until it was just a body.

Spearow's still body.

He stared on, before he regained his ability to move. He stumbled to his full height as he eyed the thinning of the trees. Pewter city was just beyond those trees. All he had to do was walk straight and he'd break through.

He glanced to Spearow's unmoving body and looked away quickly. The blood was everywhere, and his nostrils were not spared. All the smell did was urge the insides of his stomach to lose his lunch.

He kept his gaze on the thinning of the trees as he marched forward. His limbs felt loose, like he wasn't in control of them, and his stomach was in knots. It was like he was an infant again, taking his first steps in life.

In the corner of his eye he could see Bulbasaur at the ready to catch him if he fell. He felt weak and irritated at the sensation of his legs threatening to give up on him. The distance between him and edge of the forest was short, but he wasn't making good progress.

The only noise to claim the space was the crunching of his shoes on brittle leaves. The forest was still and the silence was evident.

So silent that when he heard a tiny moan he paused. For just a second he was prepared to dismiss the noise as part of his imagination, but then he heard it again.

Immediately he turned to Bulbasaur, but his starter had already located the source behind the noise.

The pitiful sound reached his ears once more and the following second he was scrambling to Spearow's side, his guilt fueling his run.

He sank to his knees beside the flying type and his gut lurched at the sight of the mutilated bird type. His hands hovered over the bird as he debated on what to do, or if anything could even be done.

The smell violated his personal space, thicker than he could comprehend.

His stomach lurched again and Ash felt the bile rise in his throat but he shoved it back down.

The bird was still, except for the tiny breaths that it could greedily soak in. The tears threatened to escape Ash's eyes then. This pokemon, despite its unbearable pain didn't even have the energy to cry out.

Ash didn't know what to do.

Slowly, Spearow opened its one remaining eye to a slit.

For just a split second, their gazes had touched.

In that moment it was just them.

Two strangers.

Pokemon and trainer.

He felt some kind of pull.

Without a word, Ash unclipped a pokeball and captured the spearow.

ooo

When they arrived in Pewter his thoughts were filled with Spearow. The old buildings and sturdy architecture had been taken in with distracted eyes as he walked in circles to find the center. After an hour of searching and frequently asking for directions he had found the building.

When he did, he had rudely pushed Spearow's pokeball into Nurse Joy's face. The Nurse had offered him what he believed to be a forced smile, before taking the pokeball and asking for an explanation.

He recalled Nurse Joy's face when he briefed her on the incident surrounding his first capture.

She hadn't been hopeful. In fact, her face had been enveloped in a face he was beginning to recognize as disguised grimness.

So now, he sat in the waiting room. The fact that Nurse Joy stopped what she was doing to personally operate on Spearow wasn't a good sign.

Nurse Joy only handled the severe cases, and if not that she manned the desk. Ash Ketchum eyed her replacement that was talking animatedly to trainers in line.

He was anxious for an update. Nurse Joy had rushed into surgery several hours ago and his nerves couldn't stand the waiting. He eyed the empty space beside him, half expecting to see Bulbasaur, but he had returned his pokemon upon entering the center.

The next fifteen minutes he spent in line waiting for his opportunity to speak with the nurse. Upon getting his turn he waited for the woman to bring up his profile.

Her cheerful face slipped and was replaced by a frown and pitiful eyes.

Ash hated her instantly for it.

The woman coughed once, and kept her eyes on the screen so she didn't have to look at him.

"It says here that Nurse Joy is still in surgery with your um…spearow…and that it is expected to take a few more hours."

She coughed again, and played with the strands of her hair. She leaned forward and in a lower tone said, "There is a much more comfortable room we insist you stay in for the duration of the wait. Please hold on while I call someone to escort you there."

He felt his eyebrows furrow in confusion. He didn't need to wait in a different room, he was just fine with the lobby area. He opened his mouth to say this but a voice behind him caught him off guard.

"That's where they tell you your pokemon is dead."

The hushed whisper brought chills to Ash. He was tempted to turn around but his fear to put a face to the voice kept his gaze forward. The voice sounded like a guy, cocky, and without remorse.

They would lead him to a different room to tell him that Spearow was dead?

A different voice, but still male responded, "Yea, to save you from the humiliation of crying in front of everyone."

Ash felt the back of his neck hairs erect themselves as he forced his hands into his pockets to give himself an air of nonchalance.

A girl shushed the two boys and he heard two swat noise followed by complaints.

"Ouch!"

"What the hell Jen?"

Her voice was quieter, but he could still distinctly hear the words, "He can hear you!"

The conversation continued, and he tried and failed to tune it out.

Ash swallowed and licked his lips. He could feel eyes on him and there was literally nowhere he could hide to avoid them. The weight of the stares was beginning to get to him and he eyed the woman on the phone urging her to hurry up.

Eventually, he chanced a peak behind him and in turn several heads frantically looked away.

Ash sighed and thumbed Bulbasaur's pokeball. He was hesitant to call out his starter because Bulbasaur hated being around too many people.

"Told you he could hear you," the girl mumbled with a face that looked both guilty and pleased with herself at the same time.

He really needed Bulbasaur right now.

That's what lead him to releasing the grass type.

Bulbasaur took in his surroundings with a quiet intelligence Ash was used to seeing. His starter's red eyes flashed with displeasure as he glared at Ash.

He felt like Bulbasaur could see the desperation in his eyes, and that's why the grass type didn't voice his complaints.

Behind him the children marveled over the rare pokemon.

Bulbasaur grunted before walking behind Ash. Rudely, he took one of his vines and harshly pushed one of the boys in a way that clearly said 'you're too close'. The boy stumbled back a few steps, his friends grabbing him so he didn't lose balance.

Ash was mortified by the behavior and was about to apologize before the boy looked at his friends and exchanged amused smiles.

"I thought Bulbasaur were mild?" He questioned, eyeing his starter before looking to his friends for confirmation.

"That's what I've read, but this one's pretty sassy. You know, I've always wanted a Bulbasaur." The girl said, giving Bulbasaur an appreciative stare down.

"Hah, fat chance. They're like on the brink of extinction!" The last guy responded.

"What? I know they're endangered but it hasn't gotten that bad, right?"

"Well, I-"

Promptly, Bulbasaur laid down beside him and closed his eyes. Ash smiled at his starter's antics and felt the weight on his chest lift.

Eventually, a small woman with a pointy noise came and led him to the private waiting room. It was filled with comfortable couches and what bothered him more was that there was no else there.

She explained to him that someone would come once the surgery was done and then left. Ash plopped down on the couch and Bulbasaur hopped up. The saurian settled immediately, shuffling into the cushion with a blissful look.

"This is where they're going to tell me Spearow is dead," Ash announced to his starter. He eyed the long hallway. Down about fifteen feet was another couch. Ash assumed the distance between each couch was purposeful and to give off the illusion of privacy.

"Saur?"

"That's what those kids were saying…and I think they're right."

Bulbasaur blinked up at him.

"To save me from the humiliation of crying in front of everyone."

The lightning in the hall was dim and he hadn't seen any switches or anything that suggested he could adjust that.

Ash laughed sarcastically. "If Spearow dies it's my fault. I wanted to save him and you were willing but I was scared of losing you. I didn't think you could win against the flock. I didn't have faith in your abilities."

Bulbasaur frowned. "Saur…"

"We need to get stronger. I need to get stronger if I'm going to be your trainer. I can't be so…weak. You deserve better than that."

"I didn't think that becoming a trainer would make me feel like this."

They sat in silence for a long time. So long that a door opened and closed, jolting Ash from his slumped position. He checked the time to see that an hour had passed and Bulbasaur stirred awake.

He recognized the woman approaching him to be Nurse Joy.

He jumped to his feet and offered Bulbasaur a hasty conclusion to their conversation.

"I'm sorry for lying to you, it won't happen again."

He met Nurse Joy halfway and searched her expression for what to expect. It was carefully blank, no doubt something she perfected in her line of work.

"Mr. Ketchum," she began.

"Is Spearow alive?" He blurted out. He searched her face once more, and he wiped his moist palms on his jeans.

"Yes, your spearow is alive for now. Though the situation isn't looking too good and I wouldn't want you to get your hopes up."

Ash blinked at Nurse Joy referring to Spearow as his pokemon. Now that he thought about it the lady at the desk had done the same. He had caught spearow, but did that make him rightfully his pokemon?

"Did the surgery go well?"

"It was successful, but he will have to go under again once he's stronger."

"If the surgery went well why does he need another one?"

Her eyes softened and her shoulders slumped.

"Ash, Spearow's injuries were extensive and it wasn't until we opened him up that we saw how bad things truly were. His intestines are in shreds. He punctured a lung and has countless wounds. Lacerations, cuts, gashes and bruises. He's lost a lot of blood. Both of his wings are broke and he lost-"

"I understand," Ash interrupted. At his sides his hands balled into fists and he lifted his eyes to face Nurse Joy head on.

"I understand, so please just say it." He didn't want her to treat him like a child. If Spearow was going to die then he wanted her to say it.

Judging from her expression Nurse Joy knew exactly what he meant.

"I don't expect him to survive. If he does, recovery will be long, painful, and expensive. With his missing eye it is unlikely that he will be able to battle to his full potential."

Ash took in a long breath and closed his eyes in concentration. Nurse Joy stood there awkwardly for a few minutes before making an exit.

With a slump Ash sunk into the couch.

ooo

Ash spent the following days training with Bulbasaur from dawn to dusk. His logic was that if his mind was full of training then he wouldn't have time to worry himself to death about Spearow.

Beside, that logic hadn't failed him yet, and it helped that Bulbasaur was still struggling with razor leaf.

On his fourth day at the center Nurse Joy caught him before he could hoard himself up in one of the training rooms.

"Mr. Ketchum?"

Ash tensed up upon hearing her sickeningly sweet voice. He had been going out of his way to avoid her. In his mind no news was good news.

"Nurse Joy." He said evenly. He took the time to take a glance around the lobby. It was seven in the morning and it looked like Nurse Joy was just getting in for her shift. Luckily for him there was no one around, so nobody would be privy to the conversation.

"I haven't seen you. I would have expected that you would be looking for updates."

That had Ash scratching the back of his head in guilt. "Yea, I've been busy training with Bulbasaur."

"I see. Well, your spearow is doing better than I expected. He's quite resilient I'd say. He can take a supervised visit if you'd like to see him."

"Right now?" Ash gulped. For some reason the thought of seeing Spearow unnerved him to no end. Was he ready to face him?

"Yes, do you have somewhere more important to be?"

"Well, Bulbasaur is trying to learn razor leaf right now and he's having a lot of trouble so…" He trailed off as he realized he was making an excuse. He bit his lip nervously as Nurse Joy eyed him disappointedly.

"I think a visit would be good for you and spearow."

Ash eyed the doors and switched his gaze to Nurse Joy. He thumbed Bulbasaur's pokeball at his side. Walking away would be so easy. Pretending everything was okay would be easy.

"Okay."

Seeing Spearow was nothing like his visits with Meowth.

Meowth had a bed.

Spearow was trapped in some kind of incubator.

From head to toe his entire body was covered with wrappings and bandages. There were several machines hooked up to him and Ash eyed one in particular.

The lines zig zagged up and down lazily and Ash knew that was the rhythmic beating of Spearow's weak heartbeat.

Ash walked carefully up to the incubator and looked into the glass. He didn't know if Spearow was asleep or simply in pain but his single eye was closed. There was a tube in his mouth and Ash asked Nurse Joy about it.

"He can't breathe on his own yet," Nurse Joy explained quietly.

Spearow woke up a few hours later.

His eye opened into a slit and Ash reeled back at the intensity one single eye could possess. Ash wiped away at his eyes to make sure it wasn't obvious he'd been crying. He shuffled uncomfortably as he tried to find something, anything to say. The glass that was between them did little to ease his nerves as a barrier.

A wheezing noise had Ash frantically eyeing the nurse in the corner but she waved off his concerns by telling him it was to be expected.

Ash licked his lips and decided the best thing to say was the truth. When Spearow finished his painful wheezing Ash had his story straight.

"Your flock attacked you. I was there, and I could have tried to stop them but I didn't. I felt my only pokemon wasn't strong enough. I regret that now…I really regret it. I wish I had stepped in."

Ash was surprised to see no reaction from Spearow. The flying type was either more aware of his situation than he let on or he wasn't comprehending Ash at all. In fact, the longer Ash stared the more he noticed that Spearow's eye was hazy.

It was also black.

His pupil was black.

Ash couldn't help the soft smile that formed as he stared into the pit of blackness.

In his head he thought about Bulbasaur and his starters beautiful crimson eyes.

Then there was Zorua, she had those brilliant emerald ones.

And Meowth, they looked black from a distance but he remembered his eyes as a really dark blue if you looked close enough.

Pokemon were so different, but those differences amazed him.

Ash swallowed.

"I caught you, so you're under my ownership. We're at a pokemon center if you didn't know. Nurse Joy says you're doing better than she expected. Apparently you're really strong."

The soft smile that formed on his face died. "My name is Ash, and I'm a trainer. I don't really know what else to say…but I won't leave till I have to."

Once he was finished Spearow closed his eye and fell back asleep.

ooo

"I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone, okay?"

"Gosh, if Gary knew this he would never let me live it down." Spearow eyed him with what Ash hoped was curiosity.

"Gary is my best friend."

Spearow's single eye blinked once.

Ash leaned forward so close that his nose touched the glass. He looked around the room, though it was mostly for show seeing as how he no longer needed his visits supervised.

"I'm afraid of heights."

Ash held his breath as he waited for a reaction.

A sound that sounded vaguely like a weak snort escaped Spearow. Ash smiled in satisfaction and leaned back into his chair to eye the flying type fondly.

"One time Gary and me were supposed to go see these pidgey hatchlings. Me and Gary had been fighting over something…I can't really remember what but we decided that whoever got to the nest first was right. They would also be the first to catch a pokemon, one of the pidgey."

"See, Gary and me disagree on a lot but we both agreed that pidgeot was king of the skies." Ash admitted, as he eyed Spearow embarrassedly.

Judging from the jerky movement inside the incubator Ash would guess that Spearow disagreed about that assessment of pidgeot being superior.

"Hatchlings are an easy catch, and Gary had stolen a pokeball from his sister. Not to mention we had been eyeing that nest for weeks…we knew the mother's schedule down to minutes on when she would leave and return. We were seven by the way but man our plan was solid."

"The nest was up this really high tree, but all the branches made it possible to climb. I got like fifteen feet off the ground and I made the mistake of looking down. I just froze. Gary was ahead of me and ended up falling, we found out later that he broke his ankle. Him falling snapped me out my daze and stopped him from discovering my secret."

"But yea, with Gary's ankle broke we had to cancel our contest and by the time it healed the hatchlings left their nest. So that's how I found out, and I've been careful to hide it ever since. No one knows except you."

"Admittedly, I've never really pictured myself flying on a pokemon until catching you. If you recover and evolve, could I fly on your back?"

Spearow thought about it. He really thought about it and Ash could see the internal debate. "You don't have to answer that now."

Ash stood to leave. "You should rest. I've kept you up with all my talking. I appreciate you listening though, Bulbasaur can only take so much from me."

Ash chuckled as he thought about his little starter. Training would be a good idea.

ooo

"Nurse Joy said recovery would be difficult. And you only have one eye so she doesn't think you could measure up to other members of your species."

Spearow glared at him.

"Nurse Joy may be really smart, but she doesn't know everything. It'll be tough, but I think you're seriously stubborn and ready for the fight. You want to be the best and I think that might be part of why you pissed off that fearow so much."

"I'll make you the best. We'll prove Nurse Joy and your flock wrong."

The sound of Spearow chirping was like music to his ears.

"What's the first thing you want to do when you get out of here?"

Even through the thick bandaging Ash could make out the flutter of Spearow's wings and the intense longing in his single eye.

"Fly huh? I should have guessed that. Is it really that great?"

Spearow cooed out in acknowledgement and Ash's smile slipped into a worried expression when violent coughs took over Spearow.

When they died down a few minutes later Ash was quick to fill the awkward silence.

"I've been doing some research on the spearow line, and you guys are interesting. It says that fearow are able to manipulate air currents so they can go long periods without needing to flap their wings…that's so cool."

He already knew that about the spearow line but he wanted spearow to think that he he'd been thinking about him. Which, he had.

He'd been thinking about Spearow a lot, and the future that could possibly be in store for them.

He smiled, and looked Spearow in the eye. "One day that'll be you, but better."

ooo

Upon entering the room he was welcomed to chaos.

Several of the hospital staff were running around and Nurse Joy herself was screaming out orders left and right. Her face was cherry red, a mixture of panic and frustration painted across her slender profile.

All Ash could do was stare at the monitor screen. More specifically the straight line that indicated a nonexistent heartbeat. His ears twitched and he felt terrified at the drawled out noise that wasn't the rhythmic heartbeat he wanted so desperately to hear.

Nurse Joy opened the incubator with haste and began CPR. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him.

"Someone get him out of here!"

A plump chansey waddled over to him to escort him out the room. Ash fought her gentle nudging so he was able to see Spearow over her shoulder.

Spearow wasn't moving and his bandages were quickly being stained red.

" _Pokemon are going to die. As a trainer you're going to witness pokemon die, it's unavoidable. Just hope and pray you never have to witness your own die."_

Ash did not cry.

The gift wrapped box dropped from his hand and plummeted to the floor. One final glance to Spearow's lifeless body and he was gone.

Bulbasaur was hot on his heels.

He had gotten Spearow a pokemon whistle.

A street vendor had proposed it and Ash had fallen for the sales pitch. Apparently, it helped to sensitize hearing and works well with training. Ash had tried the whistle and heard nothing, but he saw Bulbasaur's ear slightly twitch.

Bulbasaur could hear it, barely.

He had figured that with one eye Spearow would need help in heightening his other senses. Hearing would have been a good one to start with and a step in the right direction to go with in terms of rehabilitation.

Ash had been sold the minute the man started listing off the many benefits.

He thought the gift was perfect, and all he wanted was to see Spearow's reaction.

ooo

Nurse Joy met him in the waiting room fifteen minutes later.

It was becoming a regular occurrence, waiting for Nurse Joy to tell him if Spearow pulled through or not that is. When she walked through the doors he could easily read her face. The tense, but small smile on her face did not ease him, but instead made his insides tighten.

Why did he not find relief in knowing Spearow was alive?

"He's stable again," she began.

"I don't think I can do this," he announced. He stood up and began fidgeting with his hands. He couldn't do this. He couldn't stand by Spearow's side and not know if he would survive or not.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't think I should visit Spearow anymore."

Nurse Joy raised an eyebrow. Upon seeing his serious expression she lifted a hand to her hip and curled her lips into a frown.

"Ash…I know this is hard for you but Spearow needs you right now. Since you've been visiting him his stats have gotten stronger and he's been more attentive…it's helping."

Ash stared at the tiled floors ignoring the Nurse in front of him. His eyes snapped to her face when she shook him. Her arms were still securely on his shoulders and her lips were curled in a gentle frown.

"Spearow is fighting for his _life_ Ash! Imagine how much more difficult that'd become for him if you left. You're all he has so you don't get to leave him. Whatever grievances you have, go take them out on anyone other than Spearow."

Nurse Joy released his shoulders and placed a box into his hands. Ash looked down to see the wrapped gift he bought Spearow.

"You got your spearow a present. Taking it back is unseemly, so I reckon your only option is to hand it off to who it was intended for Ash Ketchum."

"Get your act together."

Ash Ketchum eyed the gift in his hand as he listened to Nurse Joy's retreating footsteps. A door slammed and he was left alone with his thoughts.

ooo

The next day Ash entered Spearow's room during visitation hours.

Spearow was asleep but that was okay with Ash. Bulbasaur was released for the visit so Ash decided to get all his thoughts off his chest. He placed the neatly wrapped box on top of a stool before collecting his thoughts.

A pretty black ribbon was tied beautifully around the box. The box was green, his favorite color, and he had chosen a black ribbon because it had reminded him of Spearow's eye. At the time he had found it appropriate.

Nurse Joy had provided a reality check for the boy and he realized that he was in fact being selfish. And weak. Two things that made him undeserving of being Bulbasaur's and Spearow's trainer.

They deserved better, and he would give it to them.

He'd thought long and hard about his situation and he'd come to a few conclusions.

If Spearow survived he would not be trained and rehabilitated in time to challenge the Pewter gym. Ash had already lost a week of the three weeks he had given himself to prepare for the gym challenge.

The pokemon he would catch had to be strong…remarkably so that he could devote most of his time to preparing Bulbasaur.

No matter what Ash did he could not rid himself of the anger he felt toward Fearow.

He had been keeping track and for whatever reason the flock hadn't yet been dealt with by the league.

So, Ash wanted revenge.

Nurse Joy had told him to unleash his grievances on anyone but Spearow and he knew exactly where he wanted to release his anger.

He wanted to punish the fearow that had almost killed Spearow. He wouldn't cower this time, and if needed he would take on the entire flock to get his revenge.

He realized Bulbasaur wouldn't be capable of taking on the entire flock, so his plan all revolved around attaining the pokemon he had in mind.

Ash swiveled on the spinning stool to face his starter. His pokemon waited patiently for the words that would leave his lips.

"I want an onix."

Bulbasaur raised imaginary eyebrows, surprised by the first few words Ash had spoken to him in hours and wary of the fact that his trainer might have gone crazy.

"We're a team now…us three. It's going to be a long road for us but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's within reach."

"I feel powerless," Ash continued.

"Spearow, we could have saved him you know? He wouldn't be in this state right now if not for his flock, but it's also my fault."

In simplest terms onix were powerful large pokemon that bull doze their way through any obstacle put in front of them. They were indestructible and when trained correctly an unbeatable force despite having several type weakening's.

More importantly they could be found here, right in Pewter, and they would be perfect to use against Brock for his first gym match.

Though what appealed to him most was the vision of him facing down any enemy with an onix by his side. He would feel more at ease at the sight of his foes shaking with fear.

In fact, he longed for that feeling.

He no longer wanted to be the one feeling that fear.

"Are you as frustrated as I am?" Bulbasaur nodded firmly at that and Ash slyly mentioned how a powerful training partner would only help Bulbasaur get stronger. He watched as Bulbasaur took a second to think about that thoughtfully.

"I have faith in you Bulbasaur, but you can't do everything alone. You're still young and small and until you evolve into a venusaur things will be difficult for you. For us." Ash reasoned.

Bulbasaur was so prideful and wanted to do everything alone. Ash could see it on his face, his unwillingness to accept his limits. But, as his trainer Ash would introduce him to reality, as Spearow's situation had done with him.

"It's us against the world. It can't just always be us, so we need friends to help us."

"If there had been more of us…we could have stopped those men who took Zorua…or stopped that flock from mauling Spearow."

Spearow's body moved up and down gently as he breathed. The flying type was perfectly at sleep and thanks to the drugs most of the pain was manageable.

He had failed his first caught pokemon.

"It won't happen again," Ash vowed.

ooo

Despite his risky, sudden decision Ash was more aware of the situation he was putting himself in than he let on.

After a while he filled Bulbasaur in on it too.

There was a reason that despite the abundance number of onix in the wild that not many trainers had them.

They were violent. Incredibly so, and not to mention unpredictable. Mere simple movement from them made the earth unstable, and injure their trainers.

The most common place to find one is underground or in a cave and if an earthquake doesn't split the earth sending you falling to your death and if you're not killed by tossed rocks then maybe you stood a chance.

As so many foolish trainers that came before him believed.

That they would stand a chance that is.

As dangerous as it was to pursue an onix, those risks were nothing compared to actually facing one.

Flesh wasn't particularly appealing to them but onix still choose to kill, and without remorse. People don't get away from an onix without defeating it simply because once in their territory you can't get away, and an onix never gives up chase.

They kill or rid themselves of whatever dared to come before them and move on with their lives. Burrowing and creating holes in the earth as they live out the rest of their days.

Ash felt the tremors beneath his feet and his right of mind screamed at him to turn around and walk away.

He had a plan.

Sort of.

Another tremor, more unrestrained than the last and this time Ash heard the distant roar of an enraged, violent beast. Ash took one glance at the worn out sign that warned trainers of the dangers and ordered Green trainers to turn around if they didn't have an eligible escort.

If he was caught here he could have his license suspended. He was thankful that Pewter city didn't have the man power to have patrols around this cave.

If he were thinking in his right state of mind he would turn around. He couldn't risk his dream. Yet, on some conscious level he was entirely aware of his actions and the consequences that could come from them.

He was risking so much just being here.

"Bulbasaur?"

Bulbasaur grunted and he paused to interpret that single noise.

Was it hesitant? Yes. Fearful? It sounded like it and he wondered if his own voice sounded as terrified as he felt.

"Will you follow me anywhere?"

He turned to Bulbasaur to exchange a long thoughtful gaze as he awaited his starter's response. If Bulbasaur wanted, he would turn back. He wouldn't put his only friend through this if he was afraid.

He wanted power and revenge.

No, he needed it.

He was lost and didn't recognize himself.

Bulbasaur showed no signs of hesitance and grabbed his shaking hand with his vine. Ash watched on in amazement as his trembling hand steadied. He smiled softly, realizing it was him who needed encouragement.

"Then, shall we?"

He would find himself.

That was what he realized, as together they walked stupidly to face uncertainly.

Despite what would come, the answers he sought were in that cave.

Of that, he was certain.

ooo

Sorry guys, as much as I would have loved for Ash to capture Zorua it just wasn't her time. If you want to debate me on that feel free to pm me! But if not tell me if you liked Zorua or not! I also want your thoughts on Ash's first capture, Spearow. I don't know if you guys noticed or not but I'm trying to incorporate different personalities into pokemon/ hopeful pokemon while still making them all likable in their own ways. So tell me if I'm being successful or not.

Also, for those who may be upset with the slow pacing of the story just know that the next chapter Ash will have his first gym battle if that helps. Last thing as far as the story goes. I know that some of you will probably be frustrated with this chapter in how I am characterizing Ash but I'd like you guys to keep in mind that he is ten years old out on a dangerous journey. He will get frustrated, he will be in dangerous situations, he will fail his pokemon and vice versa. I plan on exploring as many elements as possible to give you guys a realistic portrayal of a ten year old's journey. If this isn't your cup of tea then I'm sorry to hear that but I hope you stick around regardless. Ash will become the badass trainer he is meant to be, but not without jumping through hoops first.

Eager Fan- You didn't really have an actual question but I just wanted to acknowledge you because your review made me seriously happy! Thank you, I will definitely remember you when I'm down on motivation

Jammy- You and I both are against stories where Ash conveniently receives a ridiculously rare pokemon. I hope this helped to explain Zorua's appearance because I didn't want to give too much away. I hope it's a good reason by your standards!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Enjoy and be sure to review the more detailed authors note at the bottom!

Hole ridden sneakers smacked the earth with a ferocity that mirrored its owner's determination. The worn shoes stepped through the moist gravel that made up the entirety of the cave's floor with no particular destination or objective in mind but to make its trespass known.

Even as the ten year old stepped through several puddles, one in particular that had him falling into murky water almost reaching his knee, he looked forward.

He was undeterred, so with a forceful yank he released his trapped leg from the chunky, clingy hole, frowning slightly at the slithery substance making its way down his leg. With the bright flashlight outlining a path before him and the continuous falling of water drops filling the suspiciously quiet cave, he continued on.

And finally, his yearning was over.

The earth he walked upon grumbled. That was the only warning he had before his footing was lost as the ground split open. Ash sensing the danger quickly dove to the side. He flopped onto the ground and used that momentum to get up fast.

Once on his feet he sought out Bulbasaur. Immediately, he bit his lip in frustration to see the earth had shattered and they had ended up on opposite sides. What was worse, the onix was making his entrance, a clear obstacle between him and his grass type.

Ash eyed the large head in the shape of an enormous boulder breaking through as his eyes searched for the quickest path to get to his starter. Before he could make his move the ground shifted once more, and this time he fell hard.

He was slower to get up and made the decision to stay put. He was having a hard enough time keeping his footing, reaching Bulbasaur wasn't an option.

The newcomer made its presence known with an ear shattering roar that made Ash long to cover his ears. The ceiling shook from the sound and Ash watched a zubat colony awaken, and with shrieks they took off deeper into the caverns to seek safety. His ears itched in irritation at the sound of their flapping wings and frantic cries.

Ash took a moment to frown distastefully at his lack of preparation. Though he licked his wounds with the knowledge that this was the only part of what was to come that wasn't planned for. His hand went to brush over his arm that was throbbing. He had landed on it a little awkwardly, but that was the least of his concerns. He placed his hand back to his side to mull over the onix before him.

It was a beast. An unmovable mountain that looked just as refined as barbaric. It was amazing, yet frightening that such a pokemon was capable of portraying two completely contradictory dispositions.

Ash craned his neck to see Bulbasaur on guard, his starter's body postured so he could attack. The grass type was ready, but incredibly tense. The space around them was cramped, and the glow from the flashlight, left forgotten on the ground kept flickering. Ash stood still, and the light flickered to its brightest point to cast the face of his next capture.

The magnificent beast lazily reared its head back, but Ash did not steer his gaze away from those large black eyes. They were narrowed, and Ash could see the fury inside. Anger for imposing on his territory. The promise, for this not to go unpunished.

He remembered the fear he felt when looking into the eyes of Arbok, and now he acknowledged that this fear was far greater. Yet, times were different. He was terrified, but more than that he felt just. A true desire backed by the drive of a ten year old boy who saw nothing but glory and triumph in the distance no matter the path to get there.

Failure was not an option, and he just made his first move toward snatching victory.

Ash's insides churned as he mulled over the patience of the creature before him. It clearly wanted their blood, but the attack had yet to come. With baited breath he waited for the first move to be dealt, carefully picking the flashlight back up, and giving it a hard slap to keep it from flickering.

Ash estimated the onix was somewhere between thirty and forty feet. Though that was an extremely rough estimation, made even more difficult to guess with how much the creature wriggled and the low visibility in the cave. It was a dark gray, so even with the help of the flashlight it was hard to see its stone hides.

The onix's body was ragged with various indents and cracks, but he believed those battle scars only made his body tougher, a testament to his skill.

For now, Ash held the flashlight directly in front of him watching the onix's every move.

The attack came suddenly.

With black eyes still connected to his own brown irises Onix brought up his tail and without looking slammed it into Bulbasaur.

Ash moved the flashlight to Bulbasaur frantically, seeing his starter get up with a snarl. He realized the only reason Bulbasaur had gotten away relatively unscathed was his quick thinking. He had thrown up his vines just in time to ride the momentum of Onix's tail and released himself at the perfect moment.

He was injured, but the alternative would have knocked him out or worse. Ash could see liquid trailing down Bulbasaur's green legs that was no doubt blood. Ash flicked the flashlight to his starters face, slightly relieved to see more frustration than pain or fear.

Ash looked back to the onix, recognizing its destructive power for what it was. He found the onix to still be looking at him, its rocky lips formed in a tasteless frown. That was when Ash realized it hadn't looked away for a second.

Onix wasn't taking them as a serious threat.

Ash's bottom lip curled in anger, but he quickly masked away the emotion. From here on out he needed to be in control of everything and if this onix didn't want to take them serious, that would be his own downfall.

He checked the time on his xtransceiver and did some quick math.

It was time for the first part of his plan.

Anger the onix, and run.

"Leech seed!"

Several brown seeds shot out of Bulbasaur's bulb violently, all headed towards their large victim. Then surprisingly, none of them hit their target. In a show of stellar mobility Onix twisted and wiggled his body, escaping them all.

How was that even possible? For a large serpent made of stone to move so…fluidly? Ash stood there with his jaw on the ground before he found the sense to pick it up.

"Again!"

The same scenario repeated itself. The rocky coils that made up Onix's body making large clacking sounds as they rubbed together. The beast may have alarming flexibility, but stealth was not its forte. Not with a body that clinked every time it moved.

This time Onix let out a booming bellow as he peered down at them. Ash could only interpret that as their challenge being acknowledged and accepted.

Ash flicked the flashlight toward Bulbasaur twice and moved to point at the onix. The grass type got the message.

It was a gamble, but he needed to move Bulbasaur closer. He turned the flashlight off, very aware of Onix's keen ability to see without the use of his eyes. Yes, he had studied onix's internal compass well.

Ash flicked out his backup flashlight and prepared to confirm his hypothesis.

He flicked the brighter light at a random spot in the cave. Immediately after turning it on he turned it off, flicking the other flash light on and pointing it at Onix. The onix blinked, looking away from where the first light had been to now where Ash was, and more importantly where the second light shined bright.

Ash smirked.

Like he said, he knew of an onix's internal compass, but if he was lucky, he could prove to distract it. Eyes naturally sought out light. So, if he teased Onix's eyes with the flashlight, giving it what it sought out for just a second and left it yearning to see again or predict where it would come out next, then it would prove to distract Onix from Bulbasaur moving closer.

And most importantly, if his eyes were trying to concentrate on finding the light, that made it two times harder for his internal compass to pay attention to Bulbasaur.

It also didn't hurt that Ash had what felt like a ton of magnets in his book bag to distract said internal compass.

Bulbasaur was just a blimp on his radar, but Ash? He was a freaking red flag, a blinking light that couldn't nor wouldn't be ignored.

Bulbasaur wasn't thrilled about this part of the plan to say the least. Ash was after all making himself a target, but his resolve was to do whatever it took to catch an onix. Ash had told his starter the quicker the plan was executed, the quicker he'd ditch the book bag.

Ash moved, making sure to stay the focus of Onix. Several times a large tail almost came crashing into him, but thanks to the cramped area among them, Onix's tail came in contact with everything before it came close to touching him. It gave him just enough time to properly dodge, and land in a way that wasn't too rough.

It was touch and go a few times, but he mostly dodged with as much ease as one could when knowing one slip up meant death.

The next five seconds was spent with Ash rapidly using the two flashlights to distract Onix's eyes. The beast growled, frustrated, and dove, angling straight for Ash as his heart beat wildly in his chest. Onix's eyes were zoned in on him and its body came crashing down as it flashed its teeth to snap around Ash.

A vine pulled him out of the way to a safe distance but he froze, kneeled on the ground. His hands grabbed at the dirt as sweat trailed down his forehead. His mind played the picture over and over again, still stuck with the image of a furious giant opening its maw to devour him.

The very same vine to pull him out of harm's way slapped him, hard. Ash hissed, feeling his raw cheek, and getting up quickly. The message was clear. Focus Ash, or you'll get us killed.

He took a deep breath and picked up the flashlight to see Bulbasaur in position, and Onix none the wiser. His heart calmed, and he got his breathing together.

Flash of light. He saw Onix's eyes.

Slowly, he lowered that light, praying Onix would dip his head to follow it.

And Onix did, making Ash smile as he slowly continued to lower the light.

They were so close…another flash of light…another dip of his head, Onix following the light, and snapping his jaws at nothing but air…unaware he was getting closer and closer.

Ash turned off the light and snapped the other light right onto Bulbasaur. Onix's eyes widened, extremely surprised to see the little grass type merely five feet from his dipped head. The beast growled, realizing it had been deceived and opened its mouth to expose teeth that he had every intention on using to crush Bulbasaur in two.

Though intention didn't matter. Because Bulbasaur was ready. From that distance he couldn't miss. Bulbasaur merely opened his own maw and just like Ash expected, Bulbasaur's aim was true.

Two globs of purple mass shot out of Bulbasaur's mouth in record time. Both of the toxic chunks hit an eye. The mighty snake was blinded, making Ash smile victoriously.

Onix screamed, the noise sounding ugly and wrong coming from a specimen that just moments ago seemed indestructible.

He wiped the smile off his face and signaled his starter. The two did the very thing their bodies were screaming at them to do the moment they encountered the rock snake.

They ran.

Teaching Bulbasaur toxic had been relatively straightforward. It cost him a pretty penny at the tm store, but it had been more than worth it. Especially now, as he watched the mighty giant squirm in agony and destroy everything around him in his search for relief.

"Bulbasaur, faster!" He shouted just as the onix tunneled and disappeared. Ash's legs were a moving blur as he began to feel the approaching tremors.

Quickly, trainer and pokemon made their escape, moving swiftly without wasted movement as Ash lead the way, having told Bulbasaur not to worry about remembering the way out. He needed Bulbasaur to focus on more important things.

Ash turned sharply, remembering their conversation of going over roles the two would play. Ash would handle all the nitty gritty details, and Bulbasaur would obviously fight. Ash wasn't great at directions, but he'd taken special care to remember their route. Their system was simple, and so far, worked.

It took them nearly two minutes to escape the cave, the tremors getting too close for comfort as every second went by. When they finally exited, sweet sunlight smacked them in the face. Ash frowned at the sun, checking the time once more. Still, it was too early.

He threw off his book bag, which contained nothing of importance. It had been bought for this very occasion. Bulbasaur sprinkled poison powder over the thing and Ash wondered if they would be so lucky for the onix to devour it by accident, mistaking it as Ash.

When planning this, Ash had debated over the terrain for a while and had come to the conclusion that a wide field might be best. It put them in the wide open with nowhere to hide, but it also served to not be a cramped space like the cave, where Onix would have the advantage of throwing his weight around and creating chaos.

That would only serve for them to be more concerned with their surroundings than the actual battle at hand and any distraction could prove fatal.

He had also debated over baiting Onix into following them to a more preferable place, specifically one Bulbasaur could blend in, but Ash had to keep in mind that his goal was to catch Onix and he had no sure way of knowing just how far the rocky snake would play chase.

Unless of course, they pissed him off enough.

Toxic had served that purpose well. But, that hadn't been the only reason for the attack. Ash glanced down at Bulbasaur on the run to their destination.

"Did you get it?" He puffed out, and Bulbasaur grunted confirmation. Ash could already feel the strain in his arms and legs, willing him to give up. He vowed in that moment to take exercise more seriously, he needed stamina.

Bulbasaur had planted a leech seed onto Onix. He watched now, as Bulbasaur ran beside him, occasionally closing his eyes in bliss when Onix's energy transferred to him.

A pokemon as large and powerful as Onix would have difficulty noticing a parasite on it sucking away its life force. Something made even more difficult when he was focused on the poisonous gunk burning its eyes.

If they were to defeat a mountain, they would need every advantage possible.

So far so good.

That was until the earth cracked. Ash eyed the splits in the ground with worry before the cracks got wider and wider.

He was able to jump out of the way but the ground Bulbasaur landed on was unstable and collapsed underneath him. Ash glanced back to see the decoy book bag in the distance still untouched. He should of known the trick would have only worked once. Ash sprinted over to Bulbasaur just as the grass type fell into the crater.

"Bulbasaur, your vine!"

A vine shot out towards the sky, snaking its way around his wrist and halting Bulbasaur's descent into the crater. Bulbasaur planted his other vine deep into the edge and Ash almost fell forward from the weight.

He stood at the edge, attempting to hoist Bulbasaur back up, feeling relief at seeing the bottom of the hole. Bulbasaur would be injured if he fell in and their plan would be over, but he would survive the twenty foot drop.

Ash grit his teeth as it dawned on him just how much his starter weighed. He was growing bigger everyday, and Bulbasaur's vine was burning his hand as he stubbornly held on.

Nervous sweat made it's way down his face, curving around his chin before it fell in drops. His palms were moist, and his grip was slipping. He arched his back further, planting his shoes deeper in the earth as loose rocks tumbled off the edge.

Everywhere he looked he couldn't find or feel any sign of Onix. That worried him to the point that he couldn't focus on pulling Bulbasaur up. He reached out his other hand, motioning with it for Bulbasaur to release his other vine and place it in his hand.

And Bulbasaur did, without hesitation nor needing to be asked.

Ash's adrenaline escalated, pulsing through his body rapidly. He used that energy to slowly pull Bulbasaur up. His starter landed in a heap beside him, and he lay on his back, attempting to catch his breath before the earth rumbled.

"We underestimated it," Ash whispered.

Bulbasaur stood up quickly, letting out a low grumble, no doubt his pride hurt.

"and it's still not time." Ash ignored Bulbasaur, shooting another glance toward the sky.

The next moment Onix appeared like an earthquake. Suddenly and without remorse.

Ash took notice that its eyes were still tightly shut and then he found the spot Bulbasaur had planted his seed. It was at the top of one of the pokemon's stone hides, a spot that would make it difficult to brush against in attempts to dislodge it.

Bulbasaur had only one shot to get a leech seed on Onix and the brilliant little grass type had taken advantage of it, placing it in the best position possible. Ash smiled as he commanded Bulbasaur, immediately pointing to the monster, "Poison powder!"

Bulbasaur concentrated for a second before a thick fog of powder shot from his bulb toward Onix. The beast merely dove into the ground, and turned up in a different spot twenty feet away.

Ash, standing back from the battle in a safe spot couldn't help but notice that Onix's new spot was in the opposite direction the wind blew. He knew that couldn't be a coincidence. Onix was smart enough to not be caught by a last ditch effort like the wind carrying the poison powder to smother him.

In fact the wind blew harshly, dissipating the thick purple smog in several different directions until he could no longer see any of the loose grains. Ash frowned, a little concerned over not being able to see the substance but knowing it was out there somewhere. He took it as a reminder that working alongside a dual type like Bulbasaur who was both poison and grass was dangerous.

For a moment he let his thoughts wander into a serious matter like whether he should invest in a pair of goggles for an instance just like this. He released the sleeve from his mouth and nose, curious on what would become of his eyes if the poison powder touched them.

He nodded distractedly to himself just as he made the decision that a pair of goggles would be a good investment. Especially when majority of his battles would be without the help of a psychic field to protect him. At least until he could find a psychic type for the purpose of keeping flying debris, toxins, and elements away from him.

Ash nervously thumped his feet at the revelation of Onix's intelligence. It was annoying, but his heart beat excitedly. If he wanted this, he would have to work for it. So, think Ash.

The plan wasn't going to work, that much was clear. Onix was too much for them to handle. He couldn't be taken down with Bulbasaur's physical moves so their only hope was status conditions. Though that wouldn't work if he kept dodging and killed them first.

Which was looking like it would happen at any moment.

"Sleep powder!" Ash used the brief time to brainstorm. What could they use? Who could they do? At this point this couldn't stay a battle between Bulbasaur and Onix…he needed to get involved, or someone else if they were going to win.

And then a tiny light bulb went off.

He double checked Bulbasaur's positon and then took in Onix, roaring triumphantly in the face of the sleepy powder that would easily bring a smaller pokemon to slumber.

A brief moment of joy jolted his stomach at the sight of Onix ingesting the powder but it quickly died at the notion that Onix would need to ingest ten times that amount to even begin to feel the effects.

Somehow, he's going to make the mighty beast ingest the toxins that spiral inside Bulbasaur's bulb, and bring the monster to his knees.

The light bulb exploded and he took off, his eyes on the tree line and what he knew lay right beyond. The cave was on the outskirts of Pewter, and luckily Viridian forest was around four hundred meters ahead.

When he was a little over three quarters of the way he turned to shout at Bulbasaur to follow him in. He turned around, not bothering to see if Bulbasaur was making moves to follow. At this point, it was more than safe to say Bulbasaur trusted him and vice versa.

He entered the forest out of breath, eyes skimming over the foliage, trees, and scrubs. He searched the ground frantically, scooping up rocks of various size and density, throwing them like a mad man as he made his way through. He was sure of it, the spot Bulbasaur and he had seen them in just yesterday was just around here.

And finally a wild shot aimed true. A startled, pained noise filled the air, and Ash was ironically surprised by the relief he felt. The spearow shot out of its cover, glaring at him hatefully as it flapped its wings aggressively.

Ash smirked, brought his arm back and threw another rock just to provoke it further. It dodged easily, scowled, and dived at him. Despite his efforts to evade it, it landed on him, pushing him on his back. Ash was forced to use the other rock in his left hand to smack against the spearow's skull as he used his other hand to desperately try and push it off.

His heart beat wildly with the dirt pushing into his back, the feeling of wings smothering him and the painful pecks aimed wildly at his face as he protected his eyes. After what felt like a minute of the two thrashing each other they untangled their limbs from one another and the bloody spearow let out the wretched noise for backup.

Ash spit out blood, feeling hazy as he wiped at his eyebrow, blood threatening to slide off and fall into his eye. He didn't have time to inspect the rest of his wounds before the sound of the approaching flock distracted him.

Bulbasaur joined the fray then, his eyes wide and frantic, displaying his own untold story that happened in the time they were away from one another. The saurian's red eyes zoomed in on him with immediate relief followed by confusion and anger at his appearance. For a split moment the two stayed still, looking at one another. Ash snapped out of it first and made a step in Bulbasaur's direction.

He never got to take another.

Onix clawed his way out of hell, crashing his long tail into the ground and picking up earth. Grass, dirt, and rocks were slung everywhere as Onix drummed his body to the cries of war. The rock snake let out a thunder rivaling roar to let the heavens know he was ready for any challenge.

His answer came in the form of a bird from the sky.

Fearow puffed out his chest proudly, letting his impressive wingspan loose as he looked down at Onix from above. His eyes looked mean and slightly confused, but none the less he responded approvingly, letting out an impressive shriek.

And his flock was there to back him up. Standing behind their fearless leader they mimicked his battle cry, waiting to strike. Ash couldn't help the step he took back, looking around for a good spot as a spectator but also safe from cross fire.

Onix snarled at the slight, and took one leap at the pesky birds. The flock darted as fast as they could but with the close capacity one poor spearow flew into another and knocked into free fall. Once it got it's bearings together it was too late, getting caught between Onix's jaws and in one motion swallowed whole.

All Ash could do was gape at the sickening crunch of its bones being crushed because once the flock took in the sight of one of their own being killed it was quiet for just a moment.

Then chaos reigned.

Ash ducked into a bush feeling woozy, as the flock let out loud wailings as they chose to mourn the fallen with vengeance. He looked up, to not see the sky but the many spearow who dove and submerged Onix. The gigantic pokemon flailed miserably, attempting to shake the many birds off, and snapping wildly at the air.

One more spearow fell victim to his jaws.

He caught sight of Bulbasaur a good distance away and beckoned him over. A few seconds later and his starter appeared beside him, Ash feeling instantly relieved at his presence. The relief was pushed away once he turned his attention back to the flock and he subconsciously bit his nails as he watched Onix singlehandedly take on the flock.

It was impressive with how outnumbered he was to be holding his ground, if not outright dominating the brawl. Actually he was winning, Ash deduced after raking his eyes over the scene a couple more minutes. The spearow outnumbered him by dozens but the difference in skill level was immeasurable.

The only one who could even hope to have a chance was Fearow who flapped his wings lazily, watching his underlings scramble and enact a suicide charge on their foe. His flock was being skinned down in numbers by the second and he looked unbothered, unimpressed even.

Ash frowned. This wasn't the revenge he had in mind when he kept track of the whereabouts of the flock but it would have to do. He set aside his feelings on his original plans for the flock and focused on the soon to be massacre. Another bird was snatched from the air, this one smaller than average and Ash squinted to see the frantic look in its eye. That was when an idea came to mind.

He ran his plan by Bulbasaur and his starter's ruby eyes gleamed mischievously with approval. With flexibility he wouldn't keep once he evolved Bulbasaur swiftly climbed a tree that was as close to the spectacle as possible. Ash smirked when as discretely as possible the saurian snatched a bird out of the sky with his vines.

It screeched defiantly, confused, but with its wings bound together it couldn't do anything but squawk and wiggle. Ash marveled at how perfectly it was executed. Before the bird could even understand what was happening it was doused with poison powder and released back into the sky.

Ash kept track of it, watching it take off uncertainly before flying freely, joining its kin in the fight. Then a couple minutes passed and the effects took place. Its flying slowed, it ran into its brethren, and it looked dazed and confused, in pain even. It was an easy target, and Onix took notice.

Ash blinked to see the spearow, and blinked once more to witness it be eaten alive. Ash pushed down the guilt he felt, deciding to indulge those feelings later. For now, he had a Onix to catch and if eating spearow to introduce the toxins to it's body was his best option of capturing the beast, then so be it.

It also helped that he just thought about the scene he would never forget of this flock attacking his spearow. This was what they deserved, he reasoned with himself.

If an outsider looked in to see all the players and everything going on they might think he was on the same side as the onix. Make no mistake though. Onix was his target, and the flock just a step in the ladder to reach him.

This was a three-way battle, whether his opponents realized it or not, and if they didn't, Bulbasaur and he would be the last standing.

They continued the same sequence of snatching a passing spearow out of the sky and dousing it with either poison powder or sleep powder. Ash's smirk grew larger and larger every time Onix bit a chunk or took them in whole. He spit out some, but that was fine, the toxins would have already slid down his throat making moves to attack his blood stream.

He knew the two toxins contradicted the other's nature but if there was one thing both were sure to do it was confuse Onix. A confused Onix would be unpredictable but they were already like that normally. So Ash was more than willing to risk an Onix on a tantrum if he could take advantage of its confusion for even a split second.

But, all good things must come to an end eventually. Fearow picked up on Bulbasaur's interference and swooped in, angling his long sword of a beak to spill blood. Bulbasaur leaped from his spot on the branch and Ash immediately returned him as he began his descent.

Fearow's beak slammed into the tree trunk violently, getting stuck in the process. It took just a moment to free itself and when it did it turned a glare in Ash's direction and puffed its chest out angrily. Ash swallowed, wondering if the flying type remembered him. He had after all escaped its clutches, though not with his own skill.

Fearow cried out then, just as he released Bulbasaur beside him, the loud shout gathering the attention of Onix. The beast moved, ignoring the small fry, his head swinging into a few and sending them flying violently into various trees.

Their bodies slouched defeated, void of anymore will to fight. It was in that moment Ash couldn't help but wonder why Fearow hadn't retreated. Ash took in the battlefield. They were surrounded by the forest life decorated with blood and body parts thrown about messily.

The air reeked of blood, sweat, and guts and his ears pulsed at the cries of the injured and frantic beings still fighting a cause they would not win. A cause most could escape their life with, if their leader just called for the retreat.

Beside him Bulbasaur panted miserably as a result of having to produce so many toxins. He looked tired and Ash felt guilty because he would still need him to hang in there. He waited for the familiar rush of energy to transfer over to Bulbasaur from Onix but it never came.

Ash sought out the spot where the leech seed had been planted on Onix and cursed their misfortune. It was gone, no evidence of it previously being there. Of course, they wouldn't be so lucky that one of the many spearow wouldn't have plucked it off, possibly mistaking it as a weak spot in Onix's hide.

Onix raced to Fearow with the impact of a derailing train, leaving nothing but skidded grass and mutilated spearow behind him. Fearow fluttered his wings hastily, narrowly avoiding Onix's first attack. He flew high into the air gaining momentum before diving forward.

The second attack he met head on, Fearow's glowing body colliding with Onix's rocky head. The jolt of the collision left the two opponents jerking away from each other as their bodies tried to recover from the punishment.

Onix shook his head furiously but composed himself first, taking another leap at the air in attempts to get ahold of Fearow. Ash, safely on the sidelines couldn't help but eye the specimen appreciatively. Onix took that attack head on, nothing but his body's natural hardened exterior to combat the Fearow's aerial ace.

Fearow screeched when Onix grazed its wing in passing, having grabbed it but not being able to get a secure hold. The vengeful bird plopped a spot onto Onix's enormous head, squawking as the rest of the flock joined in to rake their beaks across Onix's hide.

Over two dozen spearow and one Fearow coming together to furiously attack one giant opponent was quite a sight. The sound of screeching, wings flapping, and an angry beast was constant. They were a swarm, one unit coming together for one purpose. But, their efforts were for naught.

While frequent in number that did them no good here. Onix's exterior was just too tough for them to deal damage to. Ash could see the desperation in their actions as they recklessly charged the beast, frantically trying to deal some damage but all they did was prove to injure themselves when they forced their wings and beaks against a stronger force.

It was a frenzy, but slowly and surely they began to understand that Onix outclassed them in skill, size, and strength when he regarded them as pests, not hurt by their actions, but annoyed. Overwhelmed with the reality of the situation, some began to abandon ship. Ash watched as a handful fled to avoid death and the wrath of their leader in case he chose to punish their cowardice.

Ash figured then, that this fight was over. The battle was lost, the inevitable was only being prolonged. At this point Fearow should call it off before he was faced with the annihilation of his flock.

As if trying to prove him wrong Fearow scowled hatefully at his retreating lackeys before securing his position on Onix's head and angling his long beak. Ash heard a sizzling noise just in time to look forward as Fearow's spinning beak caught the back of Onix's head. Right in one of the only weak spots an onix had.

Ten seconds passed before the relentless assault caught success. There was a sickening crunch as tiny rocks flew away. The look in Fearow's eye was pleased, as it plunged its beak in further while Onix screamed and wriggled.

That was when the rest of the flock came to attack Onix's face, persistently trying to scrape at his eyes that were already permanently closed from the toxic. Ash held his breath as the flock followed their leaders actions, their spirits renewed. For the first time since the battle began, it looked like the flock had Onix on the ropes.

The further Fearow plunged deeper into Onix's flesh the more enraged and distressed the rock snake became. Very few attacks could actually harm Onix, and living in solitude only occasioning battling other territorial onix it was very likely that Onix had never been dealt such a precise blow that reached the core that was his flesh.

He was used to tussles, throws and bouts of strength that was wrestling and jaws. The result of this foreign feeling would only anger him more, and send him on a raging storm to rid himself of the harm he was not used to feeling.

Onix panicked, summoning his first attack since the flock made an appearance. The beast roared, shaking with anger, choosing to ignore the pain he felt. The ground was heaved up, rocks and debris floating with nothing visible Ash could see. And then it was flung wildly, large boulders coming in contact with spearow after spearow.

The air was hostile as the small birds tried to avoid the large rocks, screeching in agony when they were struck with the stray masses. Those that were lucky or skillful enough to maneuver out of the way of the rocks caught the misfortune of being hit with dirt in their eyes.

Unlike their comrades that had been hurled from the sky at the force of the boulders and might have the opportunity to survive the descent with a broken wing or two they were unlucky enough to be left flying blindly, easy pickings for Onix who was looking for any spare pokemon to unleash his anger on.

One large rock the size of Onix's head hit the tree Ash was hiding behind, falling to the ground with a large thump and making him gulp at the display of wild unrefined power that Onix held. And Onix was not done. With Fearow's underlings out of the way he started to make moves on getting rid of the top bird who was still plunging it's beak into his "skull".

With adrenaline pushing Onix forward he attacked trees, screaming as he unleashed his head on the forest like a wrecking ball. Ash flinched every time his tough exterior came into contact with the ancient bark. The trees of Viridian forest were older, larger and to have withstand the perils of time, they had to be tough as nails.

Tough enough that they might even injure an Onix who used brute strength to snap them in two. They fell one after another…one…three…six, every few seconds the vast forest losing another member vital to its unique ecosystem.

Pokemon lost their homes, fleeing to find new shelter, but Onix continued his charge blind to everything but the necessity to rid the pokemon off his person, even at the expense of injuring himself. And it was maddening to Ash, the destruction one pokemon was capable of creating.

Despite all this, Fearow hung on, pride fueling him as he clung to Onix, continuing his ruthless assault on the soft flesh he had discovered with his beak. Onix had killed, injured, and scared off all of his underlings at this point. Fearow had lost so much, he would have nothing if he let go at this point.

Onix destroyed tree after tree for a few minutes until he finally knocked some sense into himself. He huffed out a colossal breath of frustrated air before diving into the earth. Ash sucked in a breath when Fearow didn't let go and waited, holding his breath as after thirty seconds Onix finally resurfaced…with Fearow still hanging on.

His feathers looked out of place and clothed with dirt. Fearow, beaten, tired and looking like he was dragged through hell jerked his head up once, only for nothing to come of the motion. Ash raised an eyebrow but then it dawned on him. At this point Fearow was no longer clinging on voluntarily but because his beak was so embedded in Onix he was having difficulty dislodging it.

He was stuck, and Onix realized it too. Next thing he knew, Onix carefully leered half his body up before body slamming himself into the earth head first. He repeated the action three more times before he pulled back and let out a snort as if to brag that it hadn't hurt.

Fearow, laying on the ground awkwardly managed to croak out a pitiful noise from the back of its throat before forcing itself up and taking flight. And the flight was pathetic. It was nothing like the smooth, impressive aerial acrobatics he had seen the Fearow previously capable of.

It was premature and frustrating to watch, almost like the bird was a hatchling flying again for the first time. Fearow slowly flew upward to pick up speed flying higher and higher into the sky that was darkening each and every second.

The sun was almost gone, so he could follow Fearow with his eyes as the bird made its high descent. And then it froze, its entire body taking in a glowing mix between silver and white. After caking its body with the brilliant glow Fearow fell, plummeting straight toward the earth with nothing between him and the rich soil but one thing.

Onix.

The aerial ace shot straight into Onix, and both the dominant pokemon came crashing into the ground, two deep chasms the result of the power behind Fearow's last defiant act. Dust picked up, and once it settled Ash could make out the aftermath.

Only one rose.

Onix, who looked down at his foe with an unimpressed gleam in his eye as he snaked his tail around and for good measure smacked Fearow through the air. The bird's body flew twenty feet before it fell, not so much as twitching.

Fearow lay on the ground broken and defeated and Onix roaredvictoriously, the gleam in his eyes confident and satisfied as he looked down on his unconscious foe that he had snatched from the skies and beaten sense into for mistaking itself as his superior.

He had defeated an entire flock, literally the only one left standing as the earth worm slung dirt tauntingly at his fallen enemies and continued to wreak havoc on the Viridian forest. He was celebrating, Ash realized as he rolled around in the earth like a newborn growlithe pup playing. His long body thumped along the ground as he continued to vocalize his victory to all within ear shot of his deafening vocal cords.

Ash raised his eyebrows at the strange behavior before deducing it to Onix's personality, as cocky and childish as it may be. And was there anything more childish than an overgrown rock snake throwing dirt onto his fallen enemies as he smiled devilishly at their twitching forms?

Or was it concerning in how sadistic it was that Onix took pleasure at the expense of another's pain?

Either way, Ash realized it was time to make this sadistic serpent his.

Ash rose, and to make his presence known, stepped into clear sight of Onix. Onix turned his head in his direction, detecting him with his inner compass. He was still blinded, but Ash imagined amused black eyes would be eyeing him distastefully if they could.

Onix snarled at the interruption of his celebration but he huffed excitedly, still running off the high he felt from his brutal victory. Bulbasaur stood beside Ash, chin held proud and ready though tired despite his brief rest.

Ash knew they were in for a tough fight when Onix snorted and rolled his large head along his surroundings, almost as if to say, 'you really want to challenge me after seeing what I'm capable of?'

The sound of his boulders grinding against one another wasn't pleasant to hear, in fact it was intimidating. Ash took in one calming breath before pointing at the beast, who he knew was tired after the display despite its front and yelled, "Bulbasaur, leech seed!"

Three leech seeds hit its mark and Ash watched the relief cross Bulbasaur's face as the renewing energy transferred to him. Now, it was time for the fight of their life.

VV

If Bulbasaur wasn't as fast as he was and Onix wasn't as tired as he pretended not to be, the fight would have been over the minute it began. It was admittedly boring to watch Bulbasaur tossing toxic and poison powder's at the beast, as Onix lazily tried to catch him with the swing of his tail or a quick dive of his head. Though Ash kept in mind that if Bulbasaur was caught, he could be easily killed, and not even intentionally.

Onix's power was just that unrefined. He did not hold back for the simple fact that he saw no reason to. Maybe, he didn't even know how.

Onix dived head first at Bulbasaur, and while he missed, he had been nowhere close to where Bulbasaur had been. Ash's eyebrows raised at the uncharacteristic incoordination before Onix sighed audibly and rolled his head back up. Ash flicked his gaze to Onix's body that swayed with a dizziness, Ash had waited for an hour to kick in.

If he could see the beast eyes he would of noticed the signs sooner, but toxic had closed off Onix's eyes for the duration of the battle.

That was how long it took for the effects to take place, and Ash could only kiss the gods that the time had come, and their patience worked to their advantage.

But, lady luck wasn't done smiling on them yet, and Ash smirked heavily as the clouds closed its borders, shaping in a way to hide the sun and darken the skies. The heavens morphed to a scary gray just as booming thunder was heard. Then, the rain fell and as the heavy drops plopped onto his dark locks Ash sighed in relief.

There had been a 95% call for rain at 3pm. The time now was 4:04, so it was over an hour late, but better late than never. Ash's smile was wet as he took in the sight of Onix, snapping at the rain, his irritation at an all-time high with the toxins finally taking effect and the type advantage of the heavy pour working against him.

Onix was in pain, his eyeless gaze somehow glaring at him hatefully, but losing the intimidating factor when his body swayed and he had to pull himself upright last minute. His body was urging him to take shelter, but he wouldn't for the simple fact that he could not turn away from this battle.

Now, it was time to unleash their true attack. Ash called out to Bulbasaur who was already scaling up a lengthy tree with the use of his vines. Taking a page from Fearow's book, Bulbasaur leapt onto the beast who hadn't yet noticed his presence.

Bulbasaur wasn't a big pokemon, and with a dazed mind and heavy rain assaulting him it was no wonder Onix hadn't noticed. Bulbasaur climbed his way up to Onix's fat head, waving one of his vines through the air to let Ash know he had found it.

The same spot Fearow had lodged his beak through.

Ash hugged the tree, thankful for its convenient spot that allowed him a perfectly safe view of the proceedings but also kept him standing. Without it he would have long ago been tossed aside due to the constant tremors and shifts in the earth caused by Onix's rampaging.

Bulbasaur took his two vines, stabbing them inside the crevasses where Onix's boulders ground against each other. When his hold was solid Bulbasaur leaned forward until his bulb was perfectly positioned and then he let loose sleep and poison powders inside the hole Fearow had kindly left for them.

Once Bulbasaur felt satisfied with the amount he switched over to his mouth and let free thick globs of toxic. When that was over he released his hold, swaying a bit once finding it difficult to hang on with Onix's wild bucking. It was like Ash was back home, turning on the tv to watch stunt men ride tamed tauros as the audience cheered on their foolishness.

Bulbasaur's vines assaulted the hole from the inside, roughly kneading it as the rocky layers gave way and made the hole bigger. The rain came in the hole, cold and harsh, and Onix screamed louder, seeing nothing but blood as his insides were dropped to dangerously low temperatures.

Water that had no business being in his skull made him thrash wildly, no longer seeing reason with the amount of assault his weak spot had taken. He'd taken too much punishment and it hit him at once. Fearow's assault, the toxins in his body, the energy being sapped from him like water from a well and finally Bulbasaur ruthlessly stabbing any flesh that came in touch with his vines.

Ash frowned, hoping that Bulbasaur didn't deal any damage that wasn't reversible. That was after all, Onix's "skull" Bulbasaur was none too gently exploring.

The final blow was dealt by Onix himself. If he had been in his right state of mind, Ash was sure he wouldn't have made such a foolish decision, but Onix threw his tail forward in a last ditch effort to get Bulbasaur off him. Bulbasaur simply slid off, free falling as Ash returned him and let him free a second later, mildly surprised by how convenient and efficient it was for him to quickly return Bulbasaur at any sign of trouble. It was the second time since they made out to find the serpent that he used the trick.

Onix's lashing tail came slamming into the back of its "skull" and Ash watched black eyes open and spasm in tune with its convulsing body.

Finally, the giant fell.

It twitched on the ground defiantly, letting out a pain ridden roar that was so low in pitch he could have mistaken it as sleepy. Ash reached onto his belt for a pokeball and with a great toss due to distance, caught the onix.

The ball jerked along the ground for several moments. Ash smiled, willing the Onix to use the last bit of its strength to get out.

And it did.

With a victorious growl he burst out, the pokeball now laying on the ground forgotten and useless. Ash had accounted for this too though, and he could only shake his head at Onix, knowing that the more he moved, the quicker the poison and sleep powder worked their way through his system.

He twitched once more, and Ash reached behind him for Onix's true pokeball, a great ball. It had cost him a huge deal. He felt guilty buying it when the thought that the money should be going toward his savings to get Zorua made it's way through his mind. Almost as if sensing his hesitation the shop owner had snatched the bills out his hands and eased him out the way with a bag in hand.

This time when Onix was sucked in, the ball shook twice, making him suck in a panicked breath before it stopped wiggling. Ash squinted from his distance, not actually seeing the light go out through the rain, but figuring with the amount of time to pass Onix would have been gotten out.

Ash carefully made his way through the wrecked surroundings, taking the safest path over that ironically consisted of deep holes and uprooted rocks several times his height he had to walk around.

With the rain sliding down his face and soaking his clothes he picked up his prize. He slid his thumb carefully against the great ball's wet surface as he felt the unmoving pokeball.

Defeating an Onix as a novice trainer took a lot out of him he didn't not know he had. He had just one pokemon with a limited move pool but with patience, planning, and quick thinking he had done it.

Ash smiled carefully, his fist tightening around the pokeball possessively.

He had done it.

It had taken rain, a flock of nasty spearow, two pokeballs, a bulbasaur, and luck, but he did it. Oh and guts, guts and huge balls no one could ever deny this ten year old had.

He caught an onix.

With torn jeans and scraped knees, he dropped to the ground, releasing a breath he didn't know how long he'd been holding. He was soaked head to toe but nothing mattered but the great ball held tightly within his grasp.

He did not feel the cuts on his face and knees, or the ache in his bones. He did not see the blood slide down his body to mix with the dirty murky water. Nor did he hear the distant thunder that hinted to a storm. He was numb and unaware of everything but the bubbling excitement in his gut.

The tingling feeling escalated, squirming and clenching his insides until it was almost too painful to keep in.

So he let it out.

A choked sound that escalated to laughter released itself from his throat. After getting his first taste of victory, an addicting feeling that had you crawling and begging for more he could do nothing but laugh.

He pumped the air with his fist vigorously, chanting 'yes', over and over again, each time louder than the last. He rolled around in the dirt, not caring about his filthy clothes or the icky substance touching his skin. He just focused on the need to release all this new pent up excitement. When that did not do the trick he was on his feet, jumping up and down as he shouted his victory into the rain.

Funny, how minutes ago he had referred to Onix as childish for celebrating in an almost identical fashion. But, with the high came comprehension. This feeling was amazing, indescribable, almost like he was on the top of Mt. Silver looking down at the rest of the world. Like he was unbeatable, and untouchable to any and every one.

He understood Onix's need to celebrate now. Besides, what was the saying? Like trainer, like pokemon, or something like that. And Onix, was now undeniably his.

Ash sent a watery smile down to Bulbasaur as he held up a peace sign, his other hand placed cockily on his hip. Bulbasaur rolled his eyes, but Ash just laughed, his smile escalating to cheesy.

That was about the time when slow clapping interrupted his celebration. His eyebrows dipped and his mouth shut as he snapped his head in the direction of the noise. He saw the culprit immediately. A young teen, who looked to be somewhere around sixteen swinging his legs on top of a trees branch. When they made eye contact the teal haired boy smirked, to let him know he had been privy to the entire scene. Ash was too taken aback from the sudden appearance of this person to even feel embarrassed.

With the grace of an espeon the newcomer leapt to the ground, splashes of water shooting into the air. His hands swished a handful of wet locks out of the way of his eyes as he brought his hands forward like a visor to protect himself from the rain.

He made his way over, and Ash was instantly weary of what he could possibly want. Beside him Bulbasaur eyed the teen with distaste, but looked away uninterested.

Ash shot him a suspicious glare, realizing his starter had been aware of the guy's presence for entirely longer than he was comfortable with. He thought to speak on it later, but a vine poked his stomach, making him realize Bulbasaur had did it purposely.

In the seconds it took the newcomer to reach them Ash raked his tired mind for a reason Bulbasaur would seek to do it.

Then he found it.

Viridian forest.

When he had returned his starter while running for his life from the nasty spearow flock. Bulbasaur had been quite angry at the selfish, clearly undiscussed act.

"Viridian Forest?" He questioned, which his suspicions were confirmed by a distorted grunt.

His starter barely had the energy to move, yet couldn't ignore the opportunity to right his grievance. Bulbasaur had a bit of a vengeful streak that was fitting once he recalled the nintales that spared his life.

Bulbasaur's lips tilted teasingly and Ash sighed, "Fine, were even now," he grumbled, turning to await the approaching teen, lest he noogie the bulb pokemon who was in no condition to defend himself.

The stranger was within his sights and now he made out the feminine curve of his jaw, and slant mischievous eyes. He was over a head taller than him, probably making out at about 5'10 compared to his whopping 5'2.

The teen was tall and skinny, having slender but strangely simultaneously broad shoulders that convinced him he had the power to back up his cocky grin.

It was his voice that made Ash dislike him immediately, appearing condescending with an undertone of false complimentary.

"You plan that entire thing from the beginning?" Without realizing it, Ash had made his way over to the cover of a nearby tree. It was easier to hear, and this way he got less wet. The teens teal brow rose expectantly, and Ash debated on how much he wanted to reveal.

To secure his victory he had planned for three things.

The terrain. The chance of rain. And Bulbasaur hitting Onix with toxic.

He had gotten lucky with how things turned out with the flock. If Fearow wasn't such a ruthless dictator who valued victory over his flocks life then they never would of taken on the onix.

But in reality his victory had all come down to just one single thing.

An onix's pride and the fact that their species would not retreat from trouble, as dangerous as it may be. In fact, an onix's instincts screams at them to fight the fight that could not be won, because that was how they justified their existence.

They were monsters, and the onix he just caught was a prize. The crème of the crop; special even amongst his own. Ash could feel it in his bones, the potential that had been oozing off Onix in over whelming waves.

Ash smiled, rubbing his thumb over the pokeball that contained his new capture. "Some of it, though there was some improvising," he answered truthfully.

The teen nodded, eyeing the destruction among them. And there was quite a bit. The skid marks and dug up earth from Onix. The deep craters and humongous boulders. The fallen trees. The dozens of spearow that lay around dead or unconscious. Those capable of moving had picked themselves up and fled to lick their wounds.

Then there was Fearow.

He let loose a pitiful twitch, and Ash reacted by whipping his head to Bulbasaur but his concern was unnecessary. The strange teen pulled out a pokeball he didn't recognize and lightly flicked it onto the bird type.

Fearow was sucked into the ball, and it didn't surprise Ash to see the ball not even shake once.

"W-what are you doing?!" Ash demanded. He felt himself grow annoyed at the strangers' presence once more, as more questions reached his tired mind, easily susceptible to irritability thanks to the days long events.

The teen raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "Oh, were you planning on catching it?"

Ash puffed his chest out proudly, "No, I have my own flying type."

His thoughts switched to Spearow, defiantly fighting for his life in a hospital room as they spoke. And he would beat all odds and survive.

"Good, cause I got clear orders from the league."

"The league?" He questioned. Just as the guy began to answer he had already put two and two together.

"Yep, I'm the guy tasked with putting an end to the flock, but the works already been done for me. Thanks for that." He winked cheekily, if such an expression existed.

Ash paled, but that was quickly replaced by angry heat. "You were the one? That flock almost killed me in Viridian forest! I almost died! No, I would of if not for-"

Ash paused immediately as his thoughts led him to Zorua. He sputtered out the rest of his ramblings, sparing the mention of the sneaky dark type. Though his mood was ruined, three months was a long ways off.

The kid shrugged his shoulders, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." He nodded towards Ash's pokeball as if that alone was all the evidence needed to back that statement up.

He was right of course, but his know it all attitude only added flame to his fire.

"Well then what was the hold up, what took you so long?"

Finally the boy frowned. "That's classified." He quickly announced. Then he replaced his scowl with his irritating smile. "Though, since your making me feel bad I'll tell you my talents were needed elsewhere, leagues orders."

So, whatever the league reassigned him to handle had been placed on a higher priority than the safety of anyone the wrath of the flock could come upon.

The teen's falsely pleasant voice filled the air.

"See ya kid, and congrats on the catch! Hopefully you don't die trying to train it…and the celebration thing? Super cute…you gotta be what, twelve? How are you even a trainer?" He muttered the question as if debating with himself, before shrugging and briskly walking away.

They guy's attitude pissed him off. But more than that was the nonchalance to his encounter with the flock, and as an almost victim he wasn't going to let this haughty boy just waltz out of here.

"Wait a minute, that's my capture!" He didn't want anything to do with Fearow but it irked him that Mr. knight and shining armor was coming in with some sickening dazzling smiles and was getting away with his spoils. No freaking way!

"And I bet you're going to go claim my work as your own and get paid! If not money, you owe me answers." His mind was racing a dozen miles per second.

He walked over to his pokedex that had conveniently fallen out of his pocket at some time. He picked it up, waving it around so that the guy noticed before stuffing it in his pocket. He ran his fingers over the device, feeling no scratches or dents.

Good, and the fact that pokedexes were widely known to be waterproof and tough as steel would only help his lie. No wonder the little device cost a small fortune.

Time for the bluff. "I recorded everything on my pokedex, just so you know." In reality he had no clue if the device even had such a feature, but it was all or nothing at this point. "So, if you try to take off and get paid for a job I did I'll cause problems for you."

The teen's smile cracked. He sighed, stuffed a hand into his pocket and walked back over. "How much do you want?"

Ash held back his relieved smile. His bluff had actually worked. If Dexter truly has a function where he could record things that was something worth checking out later. It could help with training or something.

"How much are you getting paid?" He shot back.

"You cheeky little brat." Ash held his glare steady and the guy sighed and held up his hand displaying his five fingers. "I'll give you five thousand poke dollars."

If the guy was willing to hand over that much then that meant what he was offering wasn't even half of what he was getting paid to do the job.

"Ten thousand, _and_ I want my questions answered."

"Absolutely not."

"Five questions."

"No."

"Three."

"No."

"I almost died!" Ash argued, mentioning his first run in with the flock. If he couldn't use bribery to get his way he had no shame in trying to guilt the teen into giving in to his demands.

"And I'm truly sorry for that." The teal haired teen held strong, offering a sympathetic look that didn't even look close to genuine. The guy eased his hands into his pockets, his entire demeanor calm cool and composed.

Ash rolled his eyes before throwing his hands across his chest. "Fearow's razor wind almost split me in two."

"Yes, that would have been most unfortunate, wouldn't it?" Wow, Ash had to hand it to this guy. He was good, but Ash would be better.

"I _peed_ myself…twice," he added, making sure to emphasize the fact that he had wet himself. Well, it never actually happened but he'd use any trick in the book to try and manipulate here. There was little worse than admitting something so embarrassing that stripped one of their manhood. As the culprit that led to such an event, the guy before him would need to take responsibility.

True and behold the teen before him wavered. His eyes widening in shock, then scrutinizing to see if he was telling the truth before he sighed, throwing tired hands up to massage his temples. He bit his lip before and when his eyes were revealed again, they bore resignation. "Damnit," he whispered under his breath.

Ash held back his smirk.

The next five minutes was spent transferring money to his trainer account. He double checked the money several times before finally trusting his eyes. In his mind he had already committed the amount going toward nothing but the auction for Zorua. Even if that meant sleeping outside and eating scraps for the next couple months.

"What's your name anyway?" Ash asked, not bothering to exit out of the screen that showcased his profile before pocketing the device. This guy now knew his identity, and admittedly it unnerved him not to say the same. Plus, it would be nice to put a name to his face.

"Melissa." He answered cryptically, giving a clear indication that he would provide no last name. Ash caught on and while he raised an eyebrow at the feminine name, he didn't inquire further.

Instead, without preamble he dove straight into a question. "Well, where were you instead of taking care of the flock?"

"Mt. Moon."

Ash waited and it became obvious no more would be said. This dude was really tightlipped. He had two questions left and he would really need to make the most of them. The best way to do that would be not to be so specific.

"Why were you at Mt. Moon?"

A smirk, "To do a job for the league."

Ash cursed that white toothed smile. "That doesn't count…What made that job more important than taking care of the flock?"

"The league was tipped off on something that's become a hassle as of late."

"What was that?"

Melissa ignored him, simply unclipping a pokeball and letting loose a pokemon. Ash winced from the bright light that was so close and when he opened them he couldn't believe the pokemon that had come out.

Ash stared rudely, admittedly star struck as he stared at the rare clefable. It stood about a foot shorter than him and had friendly eyes.

Ash gaped, suppressing the urge to take a picture and brag to Gary about this.

The clefable blinked, taking in it's surroundings curiously as it offered him a polite wave. It was the first time Ash had seen the fairy pokemon in person, close enough he could reach out and touch it.

It was cute too, all pink and plump, and Ash shyly waved back. Bulbasaur stood to attention at the pokemon's entrance, letting out a weak growl that distracted Ash and made him smile fondly at his starter.

He was probably biased here, but his pokemon was cuter.

"Let's just say it was a cause dear to my little friend here's heart." Melissa smiled down at his pokemon before placing his two hands over his heart in mock hurt.

Clefable chirped and pointed to Melissa's head. Ash watched the fairy type nod firmly before pounding her little fist into her other hand aggressively. The angry expression on her face looked out of place, too cute to take serious.

Ash raised an eyebrow, but Melissa just hummed in agreement. The teen reached up to twirl a strand of his hair before sighing.

"That's right. That blue haired dying fraud of a man made our job much more difficult." Melissa's lips curved in disgust as he let out a frustrated breath as he accounted over a memory. "Men like him give us naturals a bad rep."

The teen flipped his hair dramatically, Clefable nodding understandably before making wild motions with her hands and scowling.

"You're absolutely right, friend. I can't forget about that woman with disgusting gravity defying hair. They were stronger than their appearances let on and I got a cut because of those two. Though the strangest thing was that creepy talking-"

He stopped abruptly, realizing he was venting. Possibly saying more than he was allowed to say. His face became relieved immediately realizing who he was talking to.

Because none of it made sense to Ash. Melissa chuckled into his hand at the boy's dumfounded face and dropped a comfortable hand onto his shoulder.

"Well, bye kid."

"Wait!"

With that Melissa was gone. A flash of light, and poof he could be anywhere the power of his clefable allowed.

VV

Four days later Ash leaned back in a chair balancing on the two back legs. He eyed the blue pokeball decorated with red stripes on the desk in front of him intensely, biting his thumbnail nervously.

He was in the pokemon center, more specifically Spearow's room. He had intended to visit his little fighter and renew his spirits, having told him the good news of Onix's capture three days previously. Though now, he was currently too distracted with Onix to make the most of the visit.

When he had accounted the events leading up to Onix's capture to Spearow the bird had been extremely emotionless at the mention of the flock and as a result unenthusiastic about what happened. Despite this, Ash had made sure to reenact the entire thing, sound effects, wild hand motions and all. His hope was that the flying type would show some kind of excitement.

When he'd asked Bulbasaur to participate his starter huffed, annoyed, before turning in Spearow's direction to speak in poke speech. Ash had figured he was explaining what happened in his own point of view. Then, the grass type lazily threw his vines through the air to grab Ash and hold him in the air a few seconds before tossing him roughly.

Ash had landed on the floor hard, his furious blush making it's way all over his scratched face. He realized the part where Bulbasaur snatched the spearow's from the sky and sprinkled them with toxins had just been acted out. Ash had glared hard at Bulbasaur for being sarcastic as his starter made his way to lay down, but Spearow's snort made him soften it immediately.

After that, he stopped asking for Bulbasaur's input, but Spearow had been much more into the story. Even crying out excitedly once Ash suspense fully mentioned the pokeball shaking and breaking open.

Though, that was three days ago as he still rode the high he felt from catching such a strong pokemon. Today, he realized something he hadn't thought through.

Releasing Onix.

He had planned to catch an onix, yes, and had even succeeded, but beyond that he had no real plans. What would he say to Onix once releasing him? Scratch that, what would he do once Onix attacked him? It didn't take a genius to figure out how Onix would react upon his nonconsenting capture, so how could he possibly get the serpent under control to react passively enough that he could voice reason?

There weren't any other flocks in the area that he could conveniently use to help him beat the Onix down into submission.

And if he couldn't get Onix to listen to him then how would he train it? And even more importantly how would he use it for his gym match that's scheduled exactly two weeks from now?

Despite all the hype he had felt, he realized that had been mostly the dying adrenaline. For now, as he bit his lip agitatedly and eyed Onix's pokeball, he was at a lost.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the longer he kept Onix cooped up inside the pokeball letting his anger buildup the worse his eventual release would be. Despite knowing this however, he was terrified, and didn't want to face it.

A sudden annoyed chirp broke him out of his thoughts. Ash, startled, fell back in his chair his head hitting the floor with a painful thump. He eased his way up, fixing the chair as he rubbed the back of his head soothingly.

Why was he always on the receiving end of such painful things?

Bulbasaur, taking a nap in the corner opened one eye to see the cause behind the disturbance before closing it and going back to sleep. Ash turned his gaze toward Spearow standing on a perch in the middle of the room.

"You scared me there, Spearow." Ash complained to the flying type who rolled his eye in response. The bird type was at the point in his rehabilitation that Nurse Joy let him out of the incubator a couple hours a day so he could spread his wings.

The birds motions were stiff and cringe worthy to watch, and he was still bandaged from head to toe but at this point he wasn't connected to so many machines. It was progress, because just yesterday Nurse Joy had declared that Spearow was officially out of the woods.

Injuries that would have killed a person or took them years to recover from were nothing compared to a pokemon's recovery time. With Spearow's regenerative system working in overdrive coupled with the power of modern medical technology it had taken two weeks for him to get in the clear.

Ash made his way over to the bird type, and reached out to push some bandage away to gently curve his finger along Spearow's chin. The bird hummed approvingly, melting into his hand. "Sorry. I know I'm acting a little spacey. I guess I'm just at a loss on what to do about Onix."

The truth flowed out of him easily, and he awaited the bird's reaction. Spearow opened his single eye that had been closed in momentary bliss and stared holes into him.

Ash sighed, before continuing, "I doubt he's just going to go along with the whole I'm a captured pokemon with a trainer now thing, ya know? He'll attack, probably try to kill me, and then escape."

Spearow snorted, and rolled his black beady eye once more. Ash sweat dropped, finding his bird types personality to be similar to Bulbasaur's. Sarcastic as heck.

The bird hopped from it's perch, gliding across the room awkwardly as Ash anxiously followed him, his hands reached out in case the flying type fell. The bird landed on the desk where Onix's ball lay before taking two purposefully loud steps up to it.

Spearow turned to look Ash in the eye before bending over and poking the great ball violently with its beak. Ash sucked in a breath, just as Spearow raked one of its talons back and kicked the ball.

Spearow let out a challenging squawk, but Ash's heart was in his throat as the ball flew through the air. He could only breathe again when the great ball was snatched up by two leafy vines. Ash looked down to Bulbasaur, who was now awake and standing by the door.

"Saur…"

"Huh?" Ash whispered looking back and forth between Spearow's cocky expression and Bulbasaur's sleepy one. Bulbasaur lightly tossed the pokeball in his direction and Ash carefully caught it, just as Bulbasaur opened the door and motioned with his head to follow.

His face said it all. 'let's just get this over with.' And Ash looked back at Spearow who offered a cocky snort and weakly shoved him toward the door with a wing.

Realizing his pokemon were encouraging him, Ash smiled before lightly scratching Spearow's chin in goodbye and promising to be back soon.

Ash raced out the door, seeing his starter already making his way down the hall, turning back and urging him to hurry with a tilt of his green head.

VV

The time leading up to when he released Onix wasn't worth mentioning. Ash had stumbled out of the pokemon center and followed Bulbasaur silently to the border of Viridian Forest.

It was the ending result that mattered. He had released the beast, tried to speak his case, and Onix had threw a tantrum. What actually happened was a bit of a blur, but he'd been hit with something, possibly a boulder, and sent flying. With a pounding head, and confused as heck over the pain over his body he returned Onix before the rock serpent could truly attack them for real.

It was scary and he was admittedly emotional, terrified of the raw destructive power of a pokemon that had harmed him, without really intending to.

He broke two ribs, was heavily favoring his left side and had a concussion.

Sitting in the hospital under the concerning stare of his doctor as she wrapped his ribs and Bulbasaur eyeing him with guilt made him come to a conclusion.

He had absolutely no clue what to do.

Realizing this it made him think back to his previous conversation with the Professor.

Professor Oak had video chatted him the day he caught Onix, not to voice his congratulations like he had with Spearow, but to bombard him with concerns and disapproval. There were many.

" _Ash, how in arceus' name did you catch an onix?" At the strained tone, Ash's smile faltered as his brown eyes flickered to the lines on the Professor's forehead. The silence drew out, the lines scrunching together and making Professor Oak seem far older than his age suggested._

 _He rubbed the back of his head, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. "Ah, that's kind of a long story, Professor…" The stern glare pointed at him had him immediately dropping his hand from his head and recounting the details behind the capture, wincing each time the old man's eyes narrowed more and more._

" _Foolish, foolish boy." Professor Oak sighed and shook his head, exasperated by the details, even though Ash had made sure to leave out all the parts where his and Bulbasaur's life was in danger._

" _I can't believe you would attempt something so…reckless. You're such a gifted young man, surely you were aware of the risks?"_

 _Ash licked his lips, debating on if he should actually answer that question._

" _Of course you were aware of them. Yet somehow you decided to feign ignorance and attempt it anyway. You're smart, and what I had thought to be mature for your age, but was I mistaken? Did I send a child out on a journey to get himself killed? Tell me, did you get what you wanted?"_

 _Yep, don't answer those questions. He looked down, unable to bear the weight of the Professor's eyes. In all the years he's known the man he'd only seen him this angry a few times, and not once had it been at him._

" _Was it worth it to put yourself in unnecessary danger? Your Bulbasaur?"_

 _His eyes snapped up at that. The callous tone hitting him like a brick, smacking him in the face as he sucked in a desperately needed breath. His eyes enlarged as it became clear that Professor Oak was waiting, wanting him to answer._

" _Bulba." A low growl cut through the tension, making Ash look down to see Bulbasaur, glaring up at the Professor. Ash had forgotten Bulbasaur was there, privy to seeing him get chewed out by the old man._

 _The green saurian hopped up onto his lap adjusting accordingly whilst titling his head curiously at the video machine. Once he was done inspecting the equipment he growled again, to open his mouth and yell at the Professor in poke speech._

 _Ash was stunned._

 _The Professor was speechless._

 _The old man's jaw was on the floor, almost as if he'd been interrupted and his eyes bore the confusion he felt. Bulbasaur just continued to spout nonsense, animatedly pointing an accusing vine at the video screen as he did._

 _The strangest part was how the old man just sat there and took it. Almost as if he was the child getting berated for putting his hand in the cookie jar, and not Ash. Eventually, it got to be too much, Bulbasaur going on and on, neither the Professor nor him understanding a bit of it._

 _He whipped his hand across Bulbasaur's mouth, his starter shaking his head in protest. Ash bowed his head in apology before speaking._

" _Professor, I know what I did was stupid. Trust me, I know. But, Bulbasaur and I decided to do it together. Were a team, and while I put us both in danger…we don't regret it. Again, I know it was reckless and I know you're really angry with me right now but I also know you have my best interest in mind, so you don't have to worry about me. I can hold my own."_

 _Bulbasaur licked his hand, grumbling his desire for his immediate release. Ash ignored the starter putting up a fight in his arms in favor of peaking a glance at Professor Oak's face._

 _The Professor looked defeated as he stared at the boy trying with little success to keep his starter at bay. Perhaps it was that moment he knew all the fault didn't lie with him. They were truly in it together, as he had said._

 _This time his tone was much softer._

" _Ash, how will you feed an onix?"_

 _Ash licked his lips, willing himself to respond despite not having an answer._

" _How are you going to train that onix? What will you do if that onix attacks you? Or someone else? How will you, a ten year old boy with only a single pokemon in its pre-evolved state at your disposal, control an onix?"_

 _Bulbasaur had given up on trying to get released, now messing around with the many buttons on the screen with his vines. "I've made my bed Professor. I'll lay in it."_

 _With that the screen went blank._

 _Ash stared at it confused._

 _For a moment Ash thought the Professor hung up on him, too frustrated with him to continue the conversation. That was before Bulbasaur wiggled out of his grip and snarled at the dark screen. The grass type hopped down, pulling at Ash's wrist impatiently, and Ash knew then Bulbasaur had ended the call._

 _Ash gave one final glance to the video machine before giving into the pull and walking off with Bulbasaur before the Professor could call back._

"Ah," Ash winced as he exited the room, the earful he'd been forced to take in and the many questions he lied through his teeth to answer now a distant memory. Ash licked his lips through the pain in his right side as he trudged down the hallway hoping the drugs would kick in soon.

Well, calling Professor Oak for help was definitely out of the question.

VV

"Razor leaf!"

Bulbasaur unleashed a hoard of sharp leaves from his bulb and Ash watched from the sidelines with an ecstatic look as the dozens of leaves plunged themselves into the bark of a tree, sticking into the wood securely.

This would do.

The attack was still lacking in intensity and number, but they've finally hit their break through. At this point Bulbasaur would only improve the technique with experience and time. He needed to use in a real battle to grow.

Ash smiled widely. Their gym battle was just five days from now, and Bulbasaur was ready. It was a huge weight off his shoulders for Bulbasaur to have finally tackled this move. It had taken three weeks of nonstop training, and a few meltdowns, on both their parts, but it happened.

Now, they would focus on some light training while they awaited the day of the match. While much earlier appointments for a gym match had been available, Ash had set his date later for the purpose of preparing Bulbasaur.

As for Onix, that was a different matter entirely. Ever since breaking his ribs (which still hurt immensely and left him with limited mobility) he hadn't dared to release the rock serpent. It felt a little cruel to Ash to keep the snake stuck in his pokeball, but he truly had no clue what to do.

He had a few ideas. Find a master to help him get in control of his pokemon. Which was easier said than done. Finding a rock type master wasn't easy even while being in Pewter. Besides, they were picky on apprentices and he didn't even want to think about prices.

He could hope and pray really hard that Onix would just magically accept him as his trainer and go along with his plans. Hah, that one had gone so well when he first tried to release him.

Or, he kept the beast locked up, letting him out for fresh air once in a while (making sure he was far as possible) until his team grew large and powerful enough to beat the thing into submission.

So far, option three looked to be his best bet. And, as for the gym battle, he'd just let the thing loose, hoping it chose to let out it's pent up aggression on the opponent before him. Then, as soon as he finished his opponent off, or lost, he'd return it.

It was an extremely risky plan, letting out a pokemon he had no control over in a tight, cramped environment with people around, in fact thinking about it, it was negligence on his part.

Ash thought on that. He would feel awful if Onix harmed someone. But, it was his only option at this point. Besides, at a rock gym there was sure to be a psychic field to protect the audience and two fighters. Plus, Brock, a highly skilled gym leader would be able to react fast enough if Onix was strong enough to break out of the psychic field to do damage.

He nodded at that, his mind now completely made up.

Five days later he inspected the building that was Pewter gym critically, trying to find flaw in the extremely straight forward design. He had already taken special care to take it in weeks ago, once making his appointment but the gym's simplicity and expertise in careful rock placement really appeases his eye.

The boulders that made up the exterior of the building looked old and worn, but more than that they looked prepared to face any storm or punishment that could come it's way.

The people of Pewter, from what Ash could make out in his time here that he wasn't training, were prideful and traditional. They were hesitant to change, and they much preferred the ways of their ancestors over the technology that was taking over the world.

Ash loved the look of the gym because it screamed Pewter. It was everything that a rock type represented and what a trainer would need to be in order to get away with the boulder badge.

Tough as rocks.

Ash took a deep breath before walking into the building, the soil like smell hitting him in the face. He took a deep breath, surprised to find that the scent was doing wonders for calming his beating heart.

He walked right up to the desk to inform the clerk of his arrival. Once giving his name over the older teen tapped a few keys on the keyboard before his eyes flashed with recognition.

"Okay…Ash Ketchum, no badges. I have you down for a gym match at one?" He phrased it as a question, which Ash nodded his confirmation to.

He clicked away at the computer, before looking up and nudging a nod in his direction.

"Alright then. Head down that tunnel right there. You still have thirty minutes, so there will be some stands you can wait on until you're called up. And good luck battling Yolanda, she's no pushover."

Ash had begun to make his way toward the hall at the directions, but at the mention of someone's name that wasn't Brock had him whipping his head back to the teen. "Who?"

"Yolanda. Brock's little sister. She's a member of this gym and pretty high ranking for a twelve year old."

Ash paused at that, now his whole body turning around as he made his way back to the desk. "No one told me I'd be battling uh, Yolanda. Why aren't I battling Brock?"

The teen frowned, as he sat up straight. "When you scheduled your match the person at the desk didn't tell you who you'd be battling?"

Ash frowned, recalling his encounter while scheduling his appointment. Nothing substantial came to mind. He came, scheduled the match, was handed a ticket like receipt of verification, and he left. Simple and minimal talking throughout the entire exchange. "No, they didn't."

"Oh, well they should have. Anyway, Brock doesn't have a league registered team. Pewter does things a little differently. Those with three, sometimes four badges or lower never battle Brock. Besides, it's for your benefit, gives you a decent shot at the badge."

The guy relaxed back into the seat, pretty confident that Ash would have no qualms now that he explained things.

Ash dug his heels into the floor, his face determined. "Well, I want to battle Brock."

He had to battle Brock. While some of it was because he couldn't let his pride go and take the handicap it was also because he was at Pewter gym, and he wanted to battle Pewter's gym leader. What was the point of a badge if it wasn't handed to him by said gym leader he'd just defeated? It was his first gym battle, and he didn't want to feel cheated out of the experience.

Besides, if Onix got out of control, he wouldn't be able to attest to the skill of Brock's little sister. Though talented she may be, if he was going off the word of this teen.

The guy glanced him over. "Look, kid…" Ash narrowed his eyes at the change of tone, and reference to him as a kid. "Brock's team is full of monsters and you don't have a single badge yet. Just battle Yolanda, and if you beat her, you can come back and schedule a match for Brock…sound good?"

"I want to battle Brock." He said simply. He crossed his arms over his chest, wincing slightly as his right arm accidentally grazed his ribs. He examined the teen's suddenly tired expression feeling slightly guilty. He didn't mean to make the guy's job harder, but Ash had been taught by Professor Oak himself that if you wanted something, get it even at the expense of someone else.

The teen sighed before picking up the phone, muttering something under his breath Ash couldn't make out. Ash wondered if he was a member of the gym, working off expenses by working the desk.

A look of relief went over the teens face and Ash figured whoever was on the other end of the line must have picked up.

"Yea…yep, another one…" The teen's eyes swiveled over to Ash before sighing, "He seems pretty adamant about it…yea okay…got it."

The guy hung up the phone and Ash resisted the urge to raise his eyebrow.

"Lucky you…Brock is going to humor your request. He might be a few minutes late but, yea. Same rules are going to apply except you'll use two pokemon, and Brock will be using one."

Ash's victorious smile slipped. "That doesn't seem very fair…"

The teen smirked, "It is. Trust me, you'll probably be battling one of Brock's weakest pokemon, but even then it's more than fair. You're going to regret this." The dark haired teen shrugged before busying himself with something on the computer.

Ash sent him one last glance before walking down the hallway initially pointed out to him. It lead him straight to the stands.

The stands covered one side of the entirely of the gym, enough to fit about a hundred people comfortably. Ash could see a few dozen actually sitting around. Some chatting, and others seeming to be mentally preparing themselves.

On the other half of the gym on the ground was the battle field. There wasn't anyone currently on the field battling, so he took in the wide field that Onix would have no issues with as far as space went. It was a plain, brown field, decorated with some random large gray rocks.

Ash went over his mental checklist. He'd eaten a light lunch and Bulbasaur had stretched his muscles. They had gone over different strategies and dozens of scenarios that could happen over and over. There was nothing left to do at this point. Ash took a seat, waiting patiently for his name to be called.

Thirty minutes later it was called. Ash checked the time, one o'clock on the dot. Despite what the guy at the desk had said, Brock was on time. Ash smiled nervously, the butterflies he'd spent the last thirty minutes getting rid of coming back full force.

He made his way down the stands and eventually to the trainer box. Ash squinted, trying to make out the figure that had taken the trainer box opposite of him across the field. From this distance he could only make out a head of spiky dark brown hair and olive skin. Though the figure was undoubtedly tall and imposing, wearing an orange shirt with a green vest over it.

Ash took in a shaky breath just as a girl around his age took the referee box. She looked like Brock, the only immediate difference he could make out being her hair was lighter, more like an auburn shade. She shot him a glare, and Ash was struck with the idea that she must be Yolanda.

He frowned, trying to gauge her animosity for him as she began fiddling with the controllers in front of her. Ash forget his inquiring when he was startled by his gym box creaking to life and rising. It rose to about fifteen feet into the air and he looked across the way to see Brock was in the same predicament. Yolanda, he presumed took in both trainer boxes before nodding approvingly to herself.

Ash could feel himself shaking as he took in his new view of the gym, and more importantly the field. He had a great bird eye's view from here, but it was the gaze of the audience, who had quieted amongst themselves to watch the match by Brock that him shaking.

He could feel it now. Their stares, and suddenly the air seemed thinner. He tried to settle his breathing as he realized he'd never been this nervous in his life.

The referee coughed audibly before speaking into the mic. "The gym match between challenger Ash Ketchum and Gym leader Brock will now commence. Brock will be using one pokemon, while the challenger will be using two. The match will end when either side is unable to continue or forfeits. There will also be no substitutions. The challenger will have the first attack, but Gym leader Brock will send out his pokemon first."

Brock reached back, before seemingly pulling a pokeball from his back pocket. In one fluid motion that screamed confidence, he threw it. Ash's feet were thumping the thick metal plates that made up his standing platform, unable to keep his nervousness and excitement at bay. He was really battling Brock! His first official gym battle!

The pokemon was hidden by glowing light. Ash held the railing as he waited, eyes as large as tennis balls. Then finally the light dissipated to reveal a strange creature that resembled the bark of a tree.

It wasn't a tall specimen. If he had to take a guess it stood around three feet, perhaps taller. There were several yellow spots on its brown hide, but the most interesting feature being its hands. They stuck out like branches, its "fingers" appearing like three green balls.

On the top of its head were two branch like antennas sticking out in opposite directions. Ash frowned as he took in the creature, frustrated that the name was taking so long to come to him.

The pokemon took in the gym with excited eyes before turning around to face its trainer. Brock gave it a stern look, and once the pokemon turned back to look in Ash's direction he couldn't help but notice the silly grin like expression had transformed to a serious one.

Sudowoodo, he realized as he took in the beady black eyes. It had taken him a moment for the tongue twister of name to come to him, but his studying and knowledge of every pokemon native to Kanto and Johto had not failed him yet.

Sudowoodo is not a popular choice amongst trainers in Kanto. Mostly, because they aren't native here, and the closest they could be found is Johto. But, also because finding a wild Sudowoodo is difficult. Partly because their hiding skills are impressive and also because their rare.

Bonsly aren't aggressive or competitive by nature, and with the natural instincts to hide or flee in the face of danger they don't work on getting stronger, thus never learning the move mimic that would lead to them evolving to their final form.

Which is why many trainers have such a difficult time training the famously nicknamed cry baby pokemon, bonsly. They don't take well to training or orders, nor much to violence. As a species, most wouldn't be happy with the life that was pokemon battling.

They were skittish by nature.

Though as Ash looked into the eyes of this Sudowoodo that pounded its strange fist like hands into each other, he knew it was different. He was cautious, realizing that any pokemon raised by Brock was sure to be special in its own right.

In one hand he held a pokeball and in his other, he held Dexter. He raised the pokedex to the Sudowoodo and Dexter's know it all voice filled the tense air.

" _Sudowoodo, the imitation pokemon and evolved form of bonsly. Although it camouflages itself as a tree in order to avoid being attacked, its body is actually more like a rock than like a plant. It hates water and disappears whenever it rains."_

Ash nodded at the information, wishing in that moment that he had a water type. But, not much could be done, so he whipped his arm back and a few seconds later Bulbasaur appeared on the field taking in his surroundings with a bored gaze.

At the sight of its opponent, Sudowoodo narrowed its eyes into slits, and adjusted its body into a positon that mimicked a fighting stance.

Ash could hear the audiences chattering erupt into excited talk as they all tuned in to the battle. Watching Brock battle was already a treat, but to see a bulbasaur in action just exceeded their expectations.

Brock was too far for him to make out any thoughts he may be thinking but the surprised look on the referee was enough. They clearly didn't get many bulbasaur here at the gym as challengers.

She slashed down a green flag, "Sudowoodo vs Bulbasaur, begin!"

"Bulbasaur, get close!" In the corner of his eye he could see the referee take a step back, her primary role over.

Bulbasaur raced across the field, his speed having gained the attention of the audience, who sucked in surprised breaths in unison and watched on silently. His starter made it three quarters of the way before Ash shouted his true motive, "Grab it with your vines!"

Ash had suspected Brock would tell his pokemon to dodge, but the stern gym leader just stood there, his arms crossed over his chest as Bulbasaur's vines zipped through the air in mere seconds.

"Grab it." The voice came out rough and hoarse, not a suggestion but a clear order. Sudowoodo obliged, grunting as it snatched the two leafy vines out of the air, displaying great skill in outplaying the vines that had intended to grab it.

Ash frowned, but he remained calm. This was the very same thing that Florinda had pulled on them in his battle with her vileplume. If there was one thing Ash could say, it was that he learned from his mistakes.

He waited patiently as the tree mimicking pokemon pulled Bulbasaur in easily because Bulbasaur wasn't resisting. "Toxic!"

The globs of purple gunk flew out of Bulbasaur's mouth, one after the other. At that distance the first hit home, right on one of the rock types scrawny legs. Sudowoodo hissed, and did a back flip, avoiding the next and then rolled along the ground, picking up dust to avoid the rest.

The rock type stood up, displaying that despite all the dodging it had just done it still managed to hold onto both the vines. Not only that, most of the poison that hit its leg was gone, having been rubbed off on the gyms floor.

It huffed, looking irritated, and gave the vines one good tug. In response, Bulbasaur dug his heels into the ground, refusing to give into the pull.

They would not give an inch.

This rock type wanted to get Bulbasaur close so it could pound it into unconsciousness, but Ash wanted a long ranged battle. Stay far away, Ash had told Bulbasaur, because whichever trainer got the kind of battle they wanted would win.

"Switch to one hand. Rock throw." Sudowoodo prepared to switch the vine into its other hand, but once it was released to do so Bulbasaur took advantage and yanked it from out of reach. He brought the long vine back and snapped the Sudowoodo in the side.

Sudowoodo grit its teeth at the hit, and Ash smiled at the free vine. "Vine whip again, the same spot!" Bulbasaur brought the extension of himself up, preparing for the blow.

"Ignore it. Rock throw!" Sudowoodo took the hit, this time actually hissing as it reached down with its free thin arm to crumble the earth and throw the bits at Bulbasaur. The muscles in Sudowoodo's arm revealed itself as it threw the rocks a great distance to reach its opponent. It was displaying strength such a pokemon with brittle looking arms shouldn't have, but it was just a reminder that Sudowoodo was undoubtedly a rock type.

Despite one of his vines being held captive, Bulbasaur was still able to run a circle around Sudowoodo who held it hostage. "Dodge!" Bulbasaur began to run his circle, the rocks getting thrown at him getting closer and closer before eventually Sudowoodo got frustrated and began to throw the rocks recklessly, getting further from Bulbasaur.

"Focus, Sudowoodo." The rock type did just that. He stopped for just a moment to take a deep breath then began its throwing again. Ash who had deep faith in Bulbasaur's dodging abilities just looked on, inclined to watch.

Sudowoodo tugged the vine in its grasp viciously, which pulled Bulbasaur in and made him stumble over his steps. Not even a second later and the rocks thrown hit Bulbasaur. It smacked the grass types face, sending him falling to the ground as he rolled over and over attempting to upright himself.

Sudowoodo looked delighted at its success, squealing happily, but Brock willed the creature to focus. "Keep at it." And Sudowoodo did just that, hurling the rocks in its right hand, ten times faster as Bulbasaur just got to its legs.

"Razor leaf!" Ash called frantically, his voice coming out like a panicked squeak.

Bulbasaur didn't even have time to fully shake itself from its rough fall before he was on the move agin, running to avoid the rocks that were even bigger than before but ironically getting thrown faster.

He unleashed his counter attack, the razor leaves pouring out his bulb like fleeing insects from a nest, launching themselves into the air. Some came in contact with the boulders, not strong enough to actually halt their airborne strike, but there was enough force to stall it, which gave Bulbasaur plenty of time to dodge.

Those that flew Sudowoodo's way were avoided with a gleeful expression as the rock type cartwheeled out of the way, impressively never letting up on his rock throwing as he crouched and dodged.

And he did all this while he still held one of Bulbasaur's vines. Ash frowned. Sudowoodo had gotten into his groove, and now he was perfectly in control of this battle.

It was a risk, but they needed to switch things up. Ignoring his thoughts about how he really wanted to keep this a long ranged battle, Ash yelled his next order. "Bulbasaur, tackle!"

Bulbasaur moved in, leaping side to side, narrowly avoiding each rock throw the closer he got. When he got in range, Bulbasaur braced himself preparing for the pain that would come with attacking a body sturdier than his own. His smaller body collided with Sudowoodo's chest, pushing the rock type back a few steps.

Ash grimaced, because Bulbasaur didn't even have enough power behind him to knock the rock type over. The creature gasped out in surprise, but once more Brock righted it. With a smirk he called, "Low kick!"

Sudowoodo's eyes that had been closed in surprise snapped open at the order. Their opponent lifted its leg back and with a sickening crunch sent Bulbasaur's body flying straight up to the ceiling. Ash held his breath, not knowing what to do as his starter spun in the air doing involuntary flips.

"Now, rock throw."

The silly grin was back on the Sudowoodo's face, as it wiggled its body and started throwing the rocks at Ash's free falling pokemon.

"Use your vines, Bulbasaur! Protect yourself!" The order came out rushed and confusing if the snickering in the audience was anything to go by, but he didn't know how else to word it. Razor leaf wouldn't work against the momentum of rock throw. So all Bulbasaur had at his disposal was his vines.

Bulbasaur must have some idea of what he meant though. The grass type crossed his vines into an 'x' shape a few feet in front of him and rocks came flying. Bulbasaur's face was strained, and his teeth gritted in pain as several rocks grazed his side drawing blood.

Ash's focus was on the large boulder coming straight at Bulbasaur, at this rate aiming perfectly for his starters face. Ash sucked in a breath as it came into contact with the vines.

The momentum of the rock pushed itself explosively into the vines before being cradled into slowing down, nearly inches from hitting Bulbasaur's skull. Though that wasn't the surprising part. The protective maneuver had worked but even better the defensive move turned into an offensive attack right before his eyes.

Bulbasaur's vines acted as a catapult, sending the large rock flying back at Sudowoodo faster, and with more momentum. It came crashing into the rock type, who hit the ground painfully, his body thumping into the ground before bouncing up, and coming into contact with the ground again.

Bulbasaur was falling now, and Ash put his mind to quick work. There was no way for Bulbasaur to get out of this unscathed. He shouted at Bulbasaur the only order that made sense.

"Grab Sudowoodo with your vines!"

At least this way Sudowoodo would be a makeshift pillow for Bulbasaur. Albeit an extremely uncomfortable pillow.

It sounded repetitive, but Sudowoodo lay on the ground still trying to recover from the recoil of the large rock. It was then Ash knew the move would work, even when Brock yelled at his pokemon to get up.

And Sudowoodo did, shaking the jitters out of his body as he rose to shaky feet. Just as he got his bearings together and glared up at Bulbasaur, his starter was in range. Before Sudowoodo could even blink, twin green vines circled around his waist and at the speed of a bullet, the green saurian came crashing into him.

The two pokemon smashed into the ground, dust picking up as two distinct cries of pain reached the ears of everyone present. Ash looked through the dust ridden battle field, but he could see nothing.

He looked across from him to see Brock facing the same dilemma, his dark eyes searching for some sign of movement. After a few seconds, the gym leader closed them in acceptance, before surprisingly shouting an order. "Sudowoodo, slam."

Ash, frowned, his own eyes searching desperately for what Brock saw that he did not.

He did not find it. A minute later he gave up and then dust began to settle, enough that he could now make out extremely hazy figures in it, one moving quickly. "Focus Bulbasaur! Toxic, and poison powder too if you can!"

The hazy, slender figure was gaining on the smaller one now and Ash watched agitatedly as the two creatures smashed into each other.

Finally, the dust cleared.

What it revealed, was two tired pokemon. Bulbasaur lay panting on his stomach, having clearly taken a hard hit. He was bleeding too, but he could still fight, that Ash was sure of.

He switched his gaze to Brock's pokemon to see it down on one knee, curled into itself. When it stood, Ash could make out the purple mass of toxic on its stomach, sliding down in sluggish bits. Ash knew this pokemon was well trained, because most pokemon would attempt to remove the burning substance, spreading it and making it worse.

Sudowoodo let it be, one eye closed in pain. Ash didn't have time to wonder if poison powder had hit. They needed to strike. "Bulbasaur get up! Hit it with leech seed!"

His loyal pokemon stood on its four legs, and snarled at his opponent, who matched his ferocity with a growl of its own. The two opponents squared up, and Bulbasaur began his attack.

The leech seeds shot out his bulb fast, Bulbasaur needing to steal the life force of his opponent desperately. They exploded on contact once connected with the ground, slowly transforming the wasteland of a battlefield into a grass type wonderland.

"Dodge, low kick!" Brock shouted, his fist gripping his own railing tightly. Whether the gym leader was excited or frustrated was lost to Ash as he was forced to focus on the speed of the rock type.

Sudowoodo sprinted across the field, easily maneuvering his body out of the way of the seemingly endless brown seeds coming from Bulbasaur with stellar flexibility. Ash whipped his head back surprised at the speed and agility, before gritting his teeth at this new complication.

"Vine whip, Bulbasaur!" He decided to switch up their attack once Sudowoodo got too close for comfort. Bulbasaur's vines whipped through the space around, creating hissing noises and hitting nothing but air as he flung them wildly to keep Sudowoodo away.

The surprisingly agile pokemon slipped through the two vines, rolling and weaving its way out of them for several long minutes. With patience, it was getting closer to Bulbasaur, slowly but surely. Once it got too close, bouncing, with a light hop to its step Ash switched things up. "Keep that up, Bulbasaur! Now, pollute the air with poison powder!"

With deep concentration, Bulbasaur was able to keep his vines in constant motion, his eyes held tightly shut as he simultaneously released the poisonous powder. It inserted itself into the air, visible even to Ash's eyes.

Ash couldn't help the excited shout that released from him when Sudowoodo halted, feeling the toxins most likely seep in through his skin. He only froze for a second, but it was just enough time for Bulbasaur's vine to whip right into him.

Sudowoodo scowled, grabbing the follow up vine, and then grabbing the original that came back for a second attempt. "Throw it." The rock type grunted, running away from bulbasaur before its strength sent Bulbasaur skidding through earth after it, eventually it caught enough speed that Bulbasaur's was air born, and the Sudowoodo sent the saurian flying into the wall with a painful thump.

Bulbasaur groaned as it slid to the ground, but he wasn't out for the count. He stood up slowly, wincing at his injuries but he still had fight in him. Ash eyed his starter with concern for a few seconds before he immediately regretted getting distracted.

Sudowoodo's foot collided with Bulbasaur's chin, and his starter threw up blood, no doubt seeing stars as his body was thrown fifteen feet before it crashed into the ground. Ash held in a breath, his starter defiantly standing back up, but Ash could see his eyes were diluted.

He didn't have much left in him. Despite this, Bulbasaur huffed at the air, releasing his vines at the ready beside him. His pride would not allow him to lose this.

"Low kick, and end this with head butt."

"Razor leaf, give it all you got Bulbasaur!"

Bulbasaur did just that. The plethora of razor sharp leaves that exploded out of his bulb cut through the air and propelled forward to meet Sudowoodo. The rock type stood there calmly, awaiting orders.

"Sudowoodo, meet it head on, block!"

Sudowoodo charged forward, fearless as he kicked off the ground and leapt into the eye of the storm. As it turned out, the command block, wasn't actually a move. Sudowoodo threw his limber arms up and threw them protectively over his face as he came flying through the sea of razor leaves.

They cut his tough hide, zipping past him and leaving every inch exposed with deep gashes everywhere they hit. Sudowoodo, trooper that he was, snarled through the pain even as the persistent razor leaves finally drew blood. He came down on Bulbasaur, his foot connecting with the top of Bulbasaur's head.

Bulbasaur, so concentrated on unleashing the devastating attack that outshined all the ones he had done in practice, didn't even have the energy to think about dodging. He hit the floor with a loud thump, his head bouncing as he pulled it up just in time as Sudowoodo came following up with his second attack, head butt.

Bulbasaur opened his mouth, unleashing toxic that shot right into Sudowoodo's face. It hit Sudowoodo's eyes, and went into its mouth that had been open while the creature let out its battle cry. With an ear shattering scream Sudowoodo crashed his hardened head into Bulbasaur's inferior skull to complete his task.

A yelp like winded noise escaped Bulbasaur's throat as he fell to the ground, and all was quiet amongst the room. A few seconds later Bulbasaur's pride willed him to stand, only for his four legs to betray him and give out a second later.

He slumped to the ground, his eyes closed, and Ash knew he was unconscious.

On the floor wiggling in pain lay Sudowoodo rubbing its face uselessly. Ash reached for his starter's pokeball, the pride he felt taking over despite Bulbasaur's defeat. His starter had more than dealt his fair share of damage.

This was a loss, but being as they had fought a gym leader's pokemon on even ground, it did not feel that way.

He returned Bulbasaur just as the feminine voice of the referee broke through the silence in the room, minus Sudowoodo cries of pain.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle. Challenger, release your final pokemon."

Now came the hard part.

In one hand he held Bulbasaur's pokeball, rubbing his thumb over it comfortingly as he brought it to his face to whisper reassuring words. In the other hand though, he held Onix's great ball.

A screeching sound vibrated through the air before Brock's voice replaced it, having turned on his microphone. "Your bulbasaur put up a good fight, what was your name again, challenger?"

Ash switched his gaze from Onix's pokeball to Brock before it dawned on him that he'd just been complimented. His fingers flickered over the screen before he found the microphone switch.

"My name's Ash Ketchum! And I know, he's very stubborn." Ash sent a fond smile down at the pokeball in his hands before he put it on his belt. Brock cleared his throat, "Let's continue then."

Ash took in a deep breath before releasing Onix. When the light subsided his behemoth of a pokemon searched around him frantically, letting out ground shaking roars as he did.

Once seeing Ash, his roar escalated in pitch, and he slithered with great speed closer. Ash bit his lip, but steadied his face to a neutral one. Just as he suspected, Onix crashed into a psychic field, letting out a surprised growl.

Ash ignored the gasps filling the gym as he quickly ran his eyes over the controls in front of him, trying to remember which one he had flicked on for the mic. Seriously, he doubted anyone present would have predicted that someone so young would have a monster like an onix. No wonder they were pointing and shaking each other with disbelief.

Ash forced his lips into a smile before addressing Onix, finally turning on the mic so his voice would fill the gym. "Onix, were in a gym battle right now, so you can't get to me, buddy. You'll have to beat your opponent first."

Mew, he's such a phony.

Onix wrenched back confused at his words, but Ash leaned in to speak once more. "I trust your judgement, so this battle is yours!"

He needed to pretend like he had some control over the thing. Telling Onix to do his own thing would hopefully give out the pretense that he was in fact in control, just allowing his pokemon free realm over the battle, which a lot of trainers did.

Onix snarled, letting out a snake like hiss at him before Ash forced out a fake laugh. "Oh, and if you lose I'll get mad and keep you locked up!"

 _Read between the lines, you overgrown snake._

While his voice came out as teasing to everyone present, Ash knew Onix would see past that. He would truly lock the rocky serpent in his ball, never to let him out for a long time if he made a scene.

And, as Onix's black eyes widened in realization, then narrowed into slits, Ash knew his message had been received.

Ash glared at the intelligent monster who understood the hidden message immediately. It snarled at Ash halfheartedly, knowing it could not eat him like he truly wanted in this moment. The beast turned, the agitation in his movements obvious to Ash as he looked to see who he was allowed take his frustration out on.

He eyed Sudowoodo's slumped body with an unimpressed side eye. He turned back to Ash and huffed out an insulted breath to let him know he would pay for manipulating him into taking out this creature that was unworthy of being defeated at his hands.

Before Onix could pull the trigger on attacking Ash let out his final message to him. "Don't underestimate it….remember what happened the last time you underestimated an opponent?"

A snort he couldn't control escaped as he took one good look at Onix's face. The rock serpent looked embarrassed, ashamed even as he no doubt remembered the events that led to his capture. Ash muffled his laugh and said, "Attack when the referee says 'begin'," and turned off the mic.

Despite the pain in his stomach from laughing so hard, it had been worth it to see Onix's face. In fact it made up for all the pain the pokemon had caused him. The beast may have broken his ribs, but Ash had stomped on its pride.

They were even as far as Ash was concerned.

Brock let out a low whistle into the mic. "You are full of surprises, Ash. But, you must expect your opponent to be as well."

Brock rolled his eyes down to Sudowoodo. "Get up." The command came out a little harsh, but Sudowoodo did just that, still whining pathetically as it looked around blindly.

The referee stepped forward to announce the start of the battle. "Sudowoodo vs Onix, begin!"

"Rest."

The command came out quickly and with how fast Sudowoodo obeyed, one could only assume it had been waiting for the move.

Ash panicked, forgetting his earlier declaration to not interfere with this battle. But, if they allowed Sudowoodo to sleep, majority of his injuries from Bulbasaur would disappear. "Onix, attack! Hurry, before it heals itself!"

Onix turned his large boulder of a head to look back at him. He sniffed the air, disgust written all over his features. By the time he looked back Sudowoodo's shoulders had slumped and its eyes had closed.

Brock's rock type was asleep. Though, that was only the first part of the move. Ash squinted, able to see scratches and indents in its body begin to lighten and disappear. Like magic, the visible injuries on Sudowoodo were no more.

Ash sighed, they were too late. Even if Onix attacked now he would bet that Brock had taught it sleep talk. The tree mimic pokemon may be sleep, but vulnerable it was not.

Besides, Onix wasn't attacking. He was eyeing Sudowoodo with a little curiously, but if Ash had to guess the serpent wouldn't actually commit to attacking until the pokemon proved itself a worthy opponent to defeat.

Whether he won his first gym battle was in the hands of a rock pokemon that would not listen to him. What was even worse, it was very likely Onix would underestimate his opponent, and if Ash, a ten year old could take advantage of that, he feared to see what a professional like Brock would do. Ash sighed, feeling the questioning gazes of everyone in the room. All he could do was shrug and grip the railing nervously as he waited.

A couple minutes later and Sudowoodo awoke from slumber. Black rejuvenated eyes took in the room, landing on his opponent. The tree like pokemon's shoulder's stiffened and he let out a threatening noise from its throat.

Most pokemon would cower in the face of an Onix, but not this Sudowoodo. It was very well known that Brock's strongest pokemon was a monstrous Onix, so Ash deduced Sudowoodo must have faced it in training at some point.

Onix titled his head, peering down at the lesser pokemon. Despite the large specimen being just mere feet away, Sudowoodo stood tall, holding its ground. Then without warning Onix opened his large maw and screamed right in the face of Sudowoodo, sending thick pressure and small rocks that had been stuck between his teeth flying right at the rock type.

Sudowoodo tensed up, throwing his hands up to protect his face. The rocks that came flying at him grazed his arms, and the strong air had pushed him back involuntarily.

 _Was that a move?_

Ash discretely pulled out his pokedex and took the opportunity to scan Onix. With the volume turned down to a whisper and everyone focused on the battle no one would notice him doing this. It was also the first time he's gotten a chance to scan Onix, and with a barrier protecting him from the beast he would take great care to learn all he could about his new capture.

 _Onix, the rock snake pokemon. It tunnels through the ground which shakes when it raises its thunderous roar. It can move through the ground at fifty miles per hour._

 _This onix is male and knows the moves: Rollout, bind, harden, tackle, rock throw, rock tomb, gyro ball, dragon breath, slam, dig, and smack down. Its ability is rock head which protects it from recoil damage._

Ash snapped his head up at the sound of Brock's voice.

"Wood hammer! You know where to aim!"

Sudowoodo let out a gurgling noise like battle cry before taking off and leaping off the ground. Ash sucked in a breath as one of its fist became coated with dazzling green energy as it pulled it back to prepare to land a blow.

Onix roared, twisting his rocky body with amazing speed. The space his head had been at was replaced with his tail, which grabbed Sudowoodo without delay. Onix's opponent let out a surprised gasp but it was cut off into a yelp when Onix used bind to tighten his hold.

Sudowoodo took its fist and pounded it into Onix's tail, over and over willing the beast to release it. Onix screeched, but his grip did not loosen. Instead, he whipped his tail back and with a devious look in his eye he sent it slamming into the ground. When he pulled his tail up, Sudowoodo was still struggling, looking dazed and confused.

Then with a powerful whip of his tail, he sent Sudowoodo crashing into the floor again. Then again, each time lifting his tail away from the dust clouds to inspect the condition of his opponent. Sudowoodo was bruised, bloody, and heaving in air with difficulty, but it still had a determined gleam in its eye.

Onix raised his tail, and sent Sudowoodo crashing into the ground again. This time raising his tail a feet away from his face.

A mistake Onix would pay for. Sudowoodo snarled, releasing one of its arms from captivity, perhaps having the opportunity to free it this whole time. "Nature power!"

Out of its hand came bright diamond colored light, hitting Onix right in the space between his two eyes. Onix roared, unknowingly releasing Sudowoodo who fell and tumbled onto the floor.

The actual move used was power gem. As a rock type, Sudowoodo could only use nature power if its environment was a rocky wasteland, because its compatibility would not allow it to use other moves that fell under nature power like ice beam for example. Though being that majority of its battles would be in Pewter gym, it was very clever of Brock to teach Sudowoodo the move.

It was a nasty surprise for opponents, just like now.

Ash grabbed a fist full of hair and watched as Sudowoodo got to work. Before Onix could recover from the blow, the rock type leapt back into the air and raised its foot to give it a low kick on its crest.

Sudowoodo landed roughly, rolling along the rocky plain to lessen the impact. Ash could see it begin to move along a circle around Onix, who was still snapping at air, trying to grab the smaller target.

A game of tag ensued.

Sudowoodo circled around Onix, using the large boulders on the field as cover. When it was discovered it scrambled to the next position using rock throw to aid in its escape. They didn't cause Onix harm though, they only infuriated the beast who retaliated on the field, destroying the boulder's Sudowoodo insisted on hiding behind.

Because of the low visibility and continued dust pickup from the field, Ash couldn't actually see Sudowoodo. As soon as the pokemon disappeared behind the boulders, his actions couldn't be seen until he revealed himself and darted away.

There were only a few boulders left now, but Sudowoodo seemed unconcerned as it casually jumped behind one of the remaining ones.

Ash squinted, able to see the satisfied look on Brock's face. Despite the condition of his pokemon he was relaxed, his arms wrapped casually on his chest. That was an immediate warning to Ash.

He took in the field once more, focusing on where the rock type was hiding behind. Then, from luck and pure concentration alone, he was able to see the glow through the dirt cloud.

"Onix, it's a trap!" He screamed relaxing his own rock type hadn't moved from that single spot since the battle started. There was a reason Sudowoodo was circling it, rock throw had just been a distraction to keep Onix from noticing.

"Now." Sudowoodo nodded calmly to himself, his two fist glowing green as he launched one into the air and unleashed it on the earth. The earth rumbled, small tremors where Onix stood shaking him and almost making him lose balance. Sudowoodo unleashed his second fist, and the gym floor gave in, Onix falling into a crater.

Ash could only stare in disbelief, trying to understand what just happened. No answers came to him. He didn't have a clue how Sudowoodo had created a hole large enough to trap Onix, but he had.

Onix roared, not from pain but anger at being tricked. Sudowoodo stood at the edge of the crater, smiling through the pain as it looked down on its opponent. It lifted its two fist to bump against one another viciously at the payback that was to come.

"Rock tomb!"

"Dig out of there!"

The two commands spoken at the same time clashed against each other, but with keen hearing both pokemon heard the orders clear. Sudowoodo unleased a battle cry, lifting his hands, as its power flowed through its body.

Inside the hole, rocks appeared out of thin air. Large sharp ended rocks rocketed out from every direction. The sides, the top, and even the bottom where Onix stood. The rock snake was stuck, having lost its opportunity to dig out there unharmed let alone move without the rocks on the bottom poking its underbelly.

Ash scowled, looking down to see all the sharp ended rocks that were actually making progress on penetrating Onix's hide.

He couldn't help but question why Onix hadn't listened. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Onix didn't like him that much was clear. Which could be the reason he didn't listen, but why would a pokemon purposely harm itself just to prove a point? Onix could have just pretended that he had used the move on his own accord and not because the advice had come from Ash.

The answer was obvious. It was the same reason Onix had fought the flock. Why it had battled him, despite the rain, when it could have dug back into the earth to get away from both the obstacles. And now, it was the reason he didn't use dig to simply avoid the attack.

Ash realized just how deep Onix's pride ran through him in that moment.

He sighed, resisting the urge to rub his temples. Onix could use harden to stop the rocks penetrating his hide, but he figured he wouldn't do that either.

"Let's try this again. Wood hammer, Sudowoodo!"

Sudowoodo gurgled, coated a fist with a green glow and dove head first into the dangerous pit. Free falling, it expertly twisted its body out of the way of the hurdles of sharpened rocks that if he hit, would put him out this battle.

Sudowoodo flipped through air and while Ash couldn't instruct Onix on what to do, he could help in his own way. If Onix wanted to be a prideful brute, Ash would accept him and aide him so it wasn't taken advantage of.

"Rock throw! Now!" Ash called, knowing Onix wouldn't listen. Despite this, the feint worked. Sudowoodo screeched to a halt, landing with a pained expression on one of the jagged stones sticking out from the earth.

It paused, ready to dodge rock throw, but instead a large tail came crashing against the rock it stood upon and circled around its waist before he could dodge. Onix hurled its tail through the booby traps meant for him, Sudowoodo's body breaking the rocks into thousands of tiny pieces.

Sudowoodo's cries of pain were a distant noise compared to the shattering of disintegrating rock. Eventually Sudowoodo's body slackened, his arms no longer trying to free itself. There was a crumbling noise as Onix destroyed the spear shaded rocks that had been sticking into his belly.

The entire hole was covered in thick smog, but Ash knew Onix was in there no more when the sound of a tunneling beast reached his ears. Onix was underground, in familiar territory, and the sounds of screaming filled the silent room.

Sudowoodo's screaming.

Ash kept his eyes glued onto the field, not having it in him to even spare a glance in Brock's direction.

Twenty seconds; the screams escalating to a blood curdling noise that had Ash breathing frantically as he gripped Onix's pokeball with the intent to return the monster as soon as he resurfaced.

Thirty seconds, the screams were desperate now sounding like a last ditch plea in the face of death.

At forty seconds the screams were replaced by silence. Then immediately there was a spine shivering growl. The sound was muffled by the layers of earth, but still audible to everyone present.

At one minute, the rock serpent rose from the earth, a victorious roar vibrating through the room. The entire audience sucked in a breath at the sight in his tail. Sudowoodo was unconscious, his legs that dangled freely, bent at angles no body made of rock should ever twist.

Sudowoodo's body was ravaged, the tough exterior being broken through, now layered with cuts and indents. The blood was everywhere and its face…

Ash returned Onix silently, cutting off the beast's celebration. Sudowoodo began to fall, and with its body no longer covered by Onix's tail he could make out its mid-section that looked squeezed in like a juice box.

Brock returned his pokemon silently, but Ash had the image of Sudowoodo's limp body burned inside his mind.

He did not want to know what transpired in that minute underground.

VV

After Brock returned Sudowoodo Ash had been declared the winner of his first gym battle. The audience erupted into chatter and analyzing of the match and Brock had exited the gym swiftly. Since he'd filled out in his paperwork that he wanted his badge handed to him in person, he had to wait for it to be presented to him.

He sat in a vacant room, earlier being escorted here by the clerk. The teen had been very surprised to learn of his victory, which Ash hadn't voiced, but the guy must knew because the purpose of the private room was to present the badge.

Ash wasn't acting like someone who'd just won. In fact, he still couldn't believe he did. While he was proud of the efforts of both his pokemon and even more than that, happy that they'd bested Brock, that happiness was being weighed down with the concern he felt for Sudowoodo. The entire battle just a reminder of Onix's devastating power and how he didn't have control over him.

"Here."

He looked up at the annoyed voice to see the referee from his match. He hadn't even heard her come in, and now she was a few feet in front of him. She was wearing a white dress with a single blue stripe in the middle of the fabric from the bottom of the dress working its way to the top. The collar was blue as well, and there were two identical pink hearts on the two sides the blue stripe created, like a division.

He took in her narrowed eyes and auburn hair pulled into a high spiky pony tail. She raised an eyebrow and Ash noticed the glittering object in her hand she was pushing into his face.

He took it, standing as he did. He eyed the boulder badge, using it as a distraction until he could recall the girl's name. The boulder badge was just that. A shiny boulder in an octagon shape. He realized he didn't have a badge case yet as he pocketed the prized possession.

"Thanks."

She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. Looking so much like her older brother through one motion alone. The main difference between them being her skin was much lighter, on the pale side even. Also, the intimidating stance she was trying to give off would have worked much better on him if she wasn't only just a couple inches taller.

"You got something against female trainers or something?" She eyed him with a scrutinized look.

Ash rose an eyebrow, quickly figuring this was the reason behind her dislike for him. He rose his hands up defensively. "Huh? No! I just really wanted to battle Brock, nothing against you at all!"

Her eyes squinted further, then she sighed, releasing her glare and revealing auburn eyes. Her shoulders slumped, and she threw a hand on her hip. "Well, don't go getting big headed because you beat Brock. He's only had Sudowoodo a few months."

Ash nodded, glad the subject had changed to something that was plaguing his mind. "Will Sudowoodo be okay?"

Brock's sister eyed him, most likely trying to gauge how genuine his concern was. "Pokemon are resilient. Besides, Sudowoodo is used to taking a beating being the weakest and all. Though your Onix was pretty brutal with her."

Ash let out a relived sigh, before something spiked his interest. "Wait, she? Sudowoodo's a girl? And Brock's only had her a few months?" Color Ash impressed.

"Yea, give her a few years, she'll be a total bad ass."

Ash whistled appreciatively before smirking, he couldn't deny that. He offered his hand, "Yolanda right? I heard you're pretty good. We should battle sometime."

She returned his smirk, shaking his hand with a surprisingly rough one. Ash didn't dwell on the blisters and callouses too much as her voice reached his ears. "If you stay in Pewter we'll end up battling."

Ash deflated, he planned on leaving as soon as Nurse Joy gave him the okay to move Spearow. The flying type would have to be readmitted into the center in Cerulean, but Ash didn't want to stay around Pewter too long. And now that he's won his badge he wanted to finally respond to Gary's message.

Ash hadn't gotten any updates from his rival, so he could only assume they were on even ground as of now. Ash wanted it to stay that way.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Actually I plan on leaving in like a day or so."

For some reason she seemed surprised at that. "You have an Onix, and you don't plan on participating in the feast, at least once?"

Ash opened his mouth to ask what the "feast" was but she kept talking.

"Pewter has a lot to offer rock types, but even more for onix. They're like the cities mascot pokemon or something. Brock created the feast himself-"

"Where is Brock anyway? Shouldn't the gym leader be presenting my badge?" Ash looked around. He had hoped to exchange words with the gym leader. Who knows, he might have even worked up the courage to ask for advice.

"Oh, well Brock had some things to handle. You weren't exactly on his calendar, you know." She shuffled, clearly uncomfortable with the change of topic.

Silence ensued between the two. Yolanda bit her lip, before she waved halfheartedly. "Well maybe we can battle before you leave? But seriously, check the feast out, you won't regret it."

She was gone before he could voice his question.

What was "the feast"?

VV

The only noise to be heard was the hard platter of rain. Ash sneezed, but it was muffled immediately when put against the might of the downpour.

Ash shifted the umbrella, bringing up his sleeve to wipe his nose. He sniffed the air, and frowned distastefully at the foul stench that came with the rain. It was like waste, mixed with wet growlithe.

He took another generous breath, searching deeper for the smell that didn't usually come until the rain was finished. Once, twice, thrice, he breathed in and out patiently. He opened his eyes in a flash upon finding it. The smell of soil, plants, and earthly goods. To say the least, it was pleasant.

It itched with green and promise.

Ash smirked at the two words he coincidentally associated with his starter.

A chill ran over his body again and he stilled his head from looking longingly to the door, and the warmness that lay inside. Rain brought life, but it could also bring sickness and at that very moment another sneeze came over him.

His body wasn't exactly in tip toe shape. He was still recovering from his broken ribs, but after the performance his starter had displayed at the gym, he more than deserved this relaxation time, and Ash wanted to be here to see it.

His eyes trailed lazily over to Bulbasaur's form as another chill raced up his spine. Bulbasaur lay in the center of the flood, his body completely veiled by the constant pour. Bulbasaur was in bliss and completely focused on his rain bath, none the wiser to Ash's condition.

Sun and rain.

The two most enjoyable earthy bliss Bulbasaur could experience. That, and naps. His ruby eyes glittered through the rain every now and then exemplifying content.

This was Bulbasaur's peace. It wouldn't be disturbed. In fact, he considered himself lucky to be privy to such a private moment.

As Ash sniffed, he took the time to think about the teen he had met the day of Onix's capture. Admittedly, he had tried to look the kid up, but with no last name and thousands of female searches he had to go through he gave up in the first couple of minutes.

He also checked the official page of the league for any news on anything recently. He didn't find anything, but he had seen an update on the successful disbandment of the flock near the Pewter area.

Ash assumed that whatever Melissa had been dealing with was information not privy to the public. If that was true, which it looked to be since it was placed on a more urgent level than a flock, then there was no way Ash was going to be finding out what happened anytime soon.

He didn't even know where to begin to find out such information. Ash sighed, repeating the clues in his head.

What has become a pest in the eyes of the league as of late? And what were the other clues? Mt. moon the location, and a cause dear to clefable's heart.

Ash went over all he knew of Mt. moon. It was the only place people have ever found the cleffa line, and they were still extensively rare. The only things that came to mind being dear to a clefable's heart were the moonstone which there still has never been a confirmed recorded finding on, and a clefable's brethren.

So it had to deal with either the cleffa line or the moonstone. Though he was hesitant over the former because what about a group of fairy pokemon would make them a higher priority over a flock of spearow that was attacking trainers?

So far he was more inclined to believe it had to deal with the moonstone, which was a little suspicious since people still debated fervently over its existence. There were a few people who have had the good fortune to come into contact with small stones that kept the theory alive. Though whether a huge imposing moonstone that the clefairy had come on from space was inside Mt. Moon was still adamantly denied by a good portion of the pokemon community.

Ash had never really thought on it much. But, if tiny shards turned up, it only made sense for a bigger piece it had come from to exist, right?

He was shook from his thoughts when the rain slowed, the furious drops coming slower and with less intensity and until a few minutes later they down sized to sprinkles at best.

Ash brought in his umbrella, surprised by the sudden end. He didn't know how long he stood there but it had been enough time for the blistering heat to come down upon them with furry and once more, like the plant he was, Bulbasaur greedily soaked in the rays.

After Bulbasaur's victory two days ago, this was needed. The ten year old eyed the grass types bulb hoping signs of evolution would come soon. Bulbasaur was two years old and his line grew the fastest of the three starters. Plus, it would really grind his gears to be sent a pic of a wartortle from Gary before his own starter evolved.

Ash smiled at the thought of the future, looking out to the horizon.

The sun was here, and with it a rainbow.

VV

Ash pressed the button for the first floor, watching as the light blinked continuously to show the floor he was currently on. He smiled to himself, in a good mood as he waited for the elevator to get to the lobby.

He was going to try and get in a bit of late night training tonight. There was so much he learned from his gym match the new ideas were taking over his head. He couldn't wait to try some of them out.

Bulbasaur was still a little sore so he would make sure not to overdo it. The same could be said for himself. He lifted his shirt, eyeing the wrappings around his stomach curiously. He had tripped exiting the bath tub earlier today, and his ribs were still aching, hurting if he even breathed wrong.

The elevator blinked one last time and the doors dinged as they glided open, the lobby's light hitting him full force as he looked up to see-

-Brock?

Ash unknowingly took a startled step back, trying to make sense of the gym leader's sudden appearance. The two trainers took one another in and with the gym leader now in such close proximity, Ash's gaze swept over the older teen.

Brock was tall and muscular, probably standing at a good six feet. His skin was dark and his features sharp and rough. A thin mouth possibly curved into a permanent frown, with scars along his face. Though what completed his intimidating look was the furry brows, dipped forward to give him a menacing expression.

Ash gulped, breaking his eyes away from the gym leader's face just as the elevator's doors began to close. Brock reached a muscly hand forward to stop the door from closing before raising an eyebrow.

"So I was right." The young gym leader muttered to himself. Ash noticed Brock was looking down, so he checked to see what he was looking at only to realize he was still holding up his shirt.

Ash hastily brought the article of clothing down that exposed his bandages, throwing a sheepish look to the gym leader.

"Broken ribs?" The gym leader asked knowingly, as Ash finally exited the elevator. Ash still couldn't believe he was in the man's presence before he nodded, a little ashamed when he thought about the events leading to his current predicament.

"That Onix of yours?" Another knowing look and Ash whipped his mouth open to form a lie, or invalidate the assumption but something about Brock's stern eyes made his lips slack into a line.

Ash nodded, looking down and hoping he wouldn't get into any kind of trouble. What if Brock somehow found out about the circumstances behind his capture and reported it?

A rough hand gripped his shoulder, and the ten year old suddenly looked up again. "I don't think anyone else noticed. Heck, I only did because I've been in the same predicament."

At the reassuring tone Ash felt his shoulders ease a bit. Brock didn't sound like someone who was about to snitch on him. He eyed the gym leader curiously, a bit hesitant to voice his thoughts. "Oh yea?"

"Yea, training rock types, Onix especially has welcomed me to a world of pain. Broken ribs, fractures, concussions, bruises, you name it I've had it all." Brock sighed, almost as if reminiscing over the pain fondly.

Ash found that incredibly strange, but he couldn't deny it also made him feel so much better. That such a gifted trainer, the youngest gym leader in Kanto to be specific has gone through so much.

"Was it worth it? I mean, do you still get hurt?"

Brock placed a finger on his chin, thinking an answer up. "It's defiantly rare now, but accidents happen. You can account for things, but not everything will go your way. And the pain? Totally worth it."

Ash grinned now, starting to feel at ease around the rock type gym leader. Despite Brock's imposing appearance, he strangely got a comforting feeling around him. Like he could trust him for some reason. Before Ash even realized it, something that's been plaguing his mind was blurted out.

"So I should keep trying to train Onix despite him not liking me?"

Ash immediately regretted the words, but even stranger was Brock's reaction. "Yea, you should. Though doing it alone will get you killed, hence why I'm here."

Wait, why was Brock here?

Brock shoved a heavy hand into his pocket, walking away, while Ash absentmindedly followed. "I got your information from Nurse Joy, and I was actually headed up to your room. But, I heard from my sister you weren't planning on staying in Pewter? In terms of tourist attractions we defiantly don't peak interest, but if someone has a rock type then not staying awhile is kinda a disservice to it ya know?"

Ash didn't know actually. It kept getting mentioned to him how much Pewter has to offer but he was still at a lost. "So why are you here to see me?" That was the most important question, and while Ash was incredibly flattered, he was in disbelief. So as soon as he could get an answer, he could use to the sudden appearance.

"Well, I noticed during our gym match that your Onix wasn't very fond of you, to say the least. If I just let you leave my city I guess I'd feel responsible if something happened. So why am I here? To show you something that will convince you to stay in Pewter. A month will due."

Ash's lips twisted into a frown at the thought of staying in Pewter for a month. He was sure that Pewter was great, no offense to the city, but he needed to get going.

"I kind of planned on hitting the road. I want to win my cerulean badge before my friend." It wasn't until the words were out of his mouth did he realize just how childish they sounded.

Brock stopped suddenly, shooting him an amused eyebrow raise. Before Ash could decipher it, Brock was on the move again, and Ash blinked as he followed him out the center, and into the darkness.

Brock's voice was rough, and full of confidence as he spoke. "Cerulean badge? Eh, no worries then. It'll take at least a month to win that badge as a newbie."

Ash's eyebrows raised at that. He knew he had taken his time getting his Pewter badge, but that was because he didn't want to underestimate his first gym. Also, because he didn't have a second pokemon.

"A month? What, why?"

"How much do you know about the Cerulean gym?"

Through the darkness he was able to make out Brocks inquiring gaze. Ash put his own finger to his chin, trying to remember the most important details about the city.

"Cerulean is a tourist city and the gym is said to be one of the top five in Kanto, though not officially. The gym is led by the three sensational sisters, Violet, Daisy, and Lily. I heard the strongest is the oldest, Daisy. I've also heard they're into doing water ballet shows with their pokemon."

Brock nodded approvingly. "Good, you know the basics. The most important thing to note is that Cerulean gym does things a little differently. Cerulean city is booming in tourist attraction, because while the sisters are competent gym leaders, they're more importantly good business women."

"In order to win a badge, one has to win at least two matches against two different sisters. Being that Cerulean always has a large influx of trainers, appointments are always days apart. Not to mention the days they take off to perform their shows. Do you understand what I'm getting at here?"

It took the ten year old a while but eventually Ash paled, thinking about the small fortune he would spend in hotels or the many nights he'd have to waste in a room in the center, awaiting his matches.

Brock must have caught on that he understood because he continued. "Yea, so if you win your two matches, which for a green like yourself is incredibly unlikely because Cerulean is just that good at raising their water types, then you'll be faced with a temptation. The third sister you always face is Daisy, like you mentioned earlier, the strongest. If you won your first two matches then you'll be faced with the opportunity to face her for either a large sum of money… or some kind of prize."

"But what if I lose?"

"If you lose, regardless of the fact that you won your previous two matches, you don't get a badge. But, get this. What would you do if you lost to Daisy, knowing that you won against the other two sisters?"

Ash thought on that. "I would stay in Cerulean, book another gym match with the two sisters, this time not taking the temptation at the end. But, that's just more money I would have to stay to spend and…oh…wow that's-"

"-A little dirty, but that's business." Brock smirked, shrugging as he continued walking through his city at a brisk pace. Ash scurried after him, finding it a little difficult to keep up with Brock's quick strides.

Brock scowled. "I've met the sisters a few times, and while their total babes, don't let that distract you. Their ruthless."

"I always give the same advice to new trainers. Don't try and rush through the gym circuit, its designed to take a long time, especially if you're new. So explore the cities, you'll meet people and see things you didn't think you ever would. Oh, and don't be afraid to take detours, especially if it benefits you in some way. "

Ash nodded, grateful for the advice and finally realizing why Gary has been in Cerulean for over two weeks and has yet to message him about a win or badge. If he knew his best friend, and he did, that meant Gary either lost, or is still waiting for his match.

He also knew without a doubt that Gary would challenge Daisy, whether he beat the other two sisters or not. His best friend wasn't in it for the prize, he didn't need money, but what he couldn't give up? Bragging rights and pride.

Ash smirked at his predictable friend, knowing he was similar in nature. Though, what he couldn't figure out was why Gary hadn't pushed to battle Brock like he had? Or, did he?

It was a long shot, but he asked Brock. "My friend, Gary Oak, did you happen to battle him a couple weeks ago?"

Brock stopped. Turned to give him an appraising look. "Wait. Are you one of Oak's sponsors?"

Ash nodded.

"What is up with you Pallet town kids? You're the third one who pushed to try and battle me."

"Really?" Ash piped up, eager for an update on the others who left town at the same time as him. He thought about Amy, and wasn't surprised at all to find she wanted to battle Brock. The girl was very bossy and arrogant.

"Yea, though you're the only one I battled. The girl and little Oak took on a member at the gym once hearing I was out of town for a week. I guess time is important to all of you guys? There some kind of bet going on or something?"

Ash smiled. "Nah, were just really competitive when it comes to each other. I guess it's how we were brought up."

Brock matched his smile. "Well, I bet the sisters are squashing down all that pride your friends have right at this moment."

Ash nodded, not bothering to correct him on mistakenly calling Amy his friend.

Instead, he took in his surroundings with a wary eye. It was a known fact that one shouldn't hang around major cities while it was dark out, and while crime had exponentially lowered once Brock came to power, Pewter was still labeled as the most dangerous one.

Ash walked especially close to Brock as the gym leader fearlessly walked down the sidewalk, a large group of suspicious people disbanding and walking away just at the sight of the approaching gym leader.

Ash looked to the opposite side of the street to see two shady men muttering in hushed tones under a flickering lamp post. If he wasn't staring so hard, he would have noticed that an exchange had just been made. He squinted to see what, but whatever the men had gotten from the other was quickly pocketed, before the two went their separate ways.

Ash whipped his head forward to see if Brock had noticed, but the gym leader just continued forward, his head not deterring from looking straight ahead. Just as Ash began to feel the gym leader wasn't as concerned about what was going on around them Brock's voice broke the silence.

"I'll admit, I feel a little guilty telling you to stay in Pewter. Especially since we don't have the best reputation as far as safety goes, but I'm willing to bet if you leave that Onix would kill you quicker than Pewter will."

Ash stared at Brock's back in shock. Of course Brock was aware of the darker side of Pewter. He's lived here all his life, and was the gym leader. Brock was most likely just immune to it all now. Ash was willing to bet that little phased him at this point, the rock type specialist probably just turned a blind eye to it all.

Brock disputed his assumption with his next words.

"As gym leader there's only so much I can do. Power to change things takes time and I've resolved to dedicate my life to fixing Pewter long ago. Right now this city is a diamond disguised as a rock to the rest of the world. Give me time and I'll polish it with my hands and mine alone."

The gym leader gripped his two fist and turned to glance back at Ash. The ten year old sucked in a gulp of air as intense serious brown eyes, almost the color of black froze him with willpower alone.

"Make no mistake Ash, I will save Pewter."

The gym leader continued his march forward, unaware of Ash's current situation as the ten year old was left standing there still trying to regain control over his body. Ash watched as Brock walked under a lamp post, the light illuminating the young gym leader's body. Tall, with broad shoulders Brock stood there with hands stuffed into his pockets. Ash looked up to see an expecting gaze.

Ash raced to catch up, even then a chill running through his spine as a thought came to pass.

 _Brock was cool._

He was everything Ash aspired to be. A talented young man capable of defeating all odds.

The story of Kanto's youngest gym leader was a widely known tale. Brock's mother died in childbirth, and Brock's father, said to be stricken with heartbreak abandoned the family not even a week later, never to be seen or heard from again.

At fourteen Brock was left an empty gym with not a single pokemon to use, whilst the league breathed down his neck to forfeit his rights. With nine younger siblings looking to him, he overlooked a crime stricken city, knowing the rest of Kanto was waiting for him to crumble.

Pewter's savior did the only thing he could.

He triumphed.

Ash wiped the fan boy look off his face, coughing to clear his throat and settle his frantic heart. He still couldn't believe that Brock had reached out to him to try and help him. Out of all the top trainers in Kanto, Brock had always been one of his favorites, just behind Lance, Agatha, and tying with Lt. Surge.

Ash smiled, knowing he would have to review the spot Brock held in his list of most worshipped trainers in Kanto. The rock type had been everything he imagined, but so much more.

The smile on Ash's face was still visible as he took in their surroundings once more, noticing that the buildings were starting to become few in number. The roads weren't as well paved as before, and there were many cracks on the sidewalks.

"So uh, where are we going exactly?"

Brock's wolfish smile lit up the night. "The feast, hopefully were not too late but I heard there's a match tonight."

Ash sighed, hoping this time he asked he would get an answer. "Yolanda mentioned something about this "feast". What exactly is it?"

"It's a bit hard to explain. Just wait."

Five minutes later and they passed the streets and slowly made their way outside of the city on the western side of Pewter. In the distance about one hundred and fifty yards ahead, Ash could make out a large arena like building, only noticeable through the darkness because of bright lights from inside. There was no roof as far as he could see and the building was intimidating even from this far out.

As they approached it, Brock finally spoke. "When I became gym leader three years ago, I took steps to get this made. It took a year to get approved, a heavy cut out of my own check, but I did it."

Ash eyed the large building, that didn't look new in the least bit. In fact, it looked old, and he couldn't help but wonder if that was done purposely.

"Pewter gym is for rock types. That's no secret. Thousands circulate here throughout the year to challenge me and then hope to learn from me. As a gym leader I can only take so many apprentices under my gym. Though I couldn't just leave the other hundreds of other rock type specialists out in the cold. I may not be able to help everyone, but they can learn from each other. So that's what the feast is. A place where rock types duke it out, and I was amazed at how quickly it grew."

Brock lead him to a suspicious back door and produced a key. The hallway was dark and Brock began to walk through like he owned the place, confidently walking into the black void. "Trainers that come to Pewter hoping to learn from me often having nothing to their name but the clothes on their back. This place, it's their home. Where they eat, sleep, train, and make friends."

Ash's eyebrows furrowed as distant feet pounding and cheering reached his ears.

"Where are we?" Ash inquired hesitantly as Brock continued to make long strides through the darkness. After another minute of walking the young man halted in front of him suddenly before pulling at a resisting door. The older teen gave one could tug and the door screeched but gave in.

The booming scream of the crowd hooting and hollering assaulted his ears. A large hand slapped his back, pushing him forward from the darkness. He stumbled into the colosseum and just as he exited the tunnel the harsh light from the arena lights hit his eyes.

He hissed, covering his eyes, and after several seconds experimentally opened them to see that they had adjusted to the light. He blinked to take in the sight before him and couldn't help the gasp that escaped his throat.

Brock laughed knowingly, placing an arm around his shoulder comfortably.

"This Ash, is the feast."

The passage way Brock had lead him through had them coming out in a break space in the audience. Ash looked up to see people above him, sitting or standing on their seats, and down him to see trainers doing the same.

Ash took in the sight of the booming crowd and bright lights with bedazzled eyes. He looked around to see about a hundred trainers all screaming down into the air and chanting ecstatically. His nose sucked in the smell of sweat, dirt, and something burnt, making him swoon as it took over his senses.

It finally dawned on him to glance down to what the audience was screaming at. Ash gripped the railing, looking down to see two enormous Onix that put his to shame, duking it out in a muddy field. Their dominant roars reached his ears as the two beasts circled each other, and he wondered why it took him so long to notice their presence.

Ash watched entranced as the two Onix wrestled with one another for dominance, their movements like a dance as they twirled and escaped the others grip.

Mud was tussled and thrown about before being flung toward the audience. Ash was smacked with a thick layer of dark mud, barely having enough time to cover his eyes.

The smell of feces and dirt hit him hard as he frowned with disgust. He took the inside of his sleeve and used it to wipe his mouth before turning to Brock. He couldn't help the frown on his face from deepening when he saw the clean, untouched gym leader take a step away from him and offered him a cocky smirk.

Before Ash could even ask how he remained clean, Brock took a few steps toward him, leaning in. "See that guy? The blond one?"

Ash looked forward, past the two tussling Onix that made his stomach bubble with giddiness to take in the trainers that commanded them. One was average height with a head full of brown locks, but the other was taller with a long blond ponytail hanging down his back. Ash nodded over to Brock, his eyes still transfixed on the older teen.

"The way the feast works is simple. Three days out of the week, Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays are reserved for Onix matches only. The other days don't matter, just along as you use a rock type. Anyway, that guy rolled into town a week ago, but already his Onix's record is a clean 7-0."

Ash whistled, trying to make out which Onix rolling along the dirt and snarling at the other was his, but he couldn't figure. Instead, he asked Brock something else. "Why's he working so hard?"

Brock smirked. "He's trying to catch my attention. If someone gets fifteen straight wins then they'll face Onix, but if they get to fifteen with some losses, I'll battle them with Lola."

Ash marveled over that. Everyone knew that Brock had two Onix. One, a beast of a pokemon that Brock had mysteriously appeared with once his reign as gym leader began, coincidentally being his first pokemon. To this day it had only actually been defeated twice in an official one on one match. The other was Lola, a smaller one in size, but none the less she packed a punch when need be. The two were famous.

Ash smirked, now seeing the motivation that lie behind a trainer with an Onix. No wonder they would choose to participate in 'the feast'. What a freaking deal!

Now that Ash stood here, he was itching for a go as well. But he also figured that the more wins one accumulated the harder it would be to reach the necessary fifteen to fight Brock.

Ash swiftly turned back to see one of the Onix wiggle out of the hold of the other and snake its body on its foe. Monstrous clacks and screeches filled the air every time the two beasts collided, using every trick in the book to take down their opponent. Ash watched as one screamed, flopping onto its opponent with a boom as the other roared in response.

The Onix on top voice rang out then. It tightened its hold on its victim, bounding the other like a snake would its prey. It tightened and tightened its rocky coils before after several long minutes Ash spent biting his lip, its victim gave out, going limp. Onix released its foe with a triumphant cry, the fallen Onix's body smacking the mud and sending a second wave of mud toward Ash.

Ash coughed then, realizing he had been holding his breath. He halfheartedly wiped some of the mud off him, finding it may be better to get used to it. Either way, the mud wasn't enough to get rid of the smile on his face. Ash turned back to Brock, eyeing the gym leader's clean clothes with suspicion.

"Do you think you have time to stick around Pewter to learn a thing or two?"

Ash could sense the sarcastic tone a mile away, but he ignored Brock's proposal at the sound of the screaming crowd. He leaned forward, watching several in the crowd start a brawl and others hold out their bills urgently under the light of the lamp posts.

"WHO DARES TO CHALLENGE BRANDON AND HIS ONIX NEXT?"

Ash smirked like a mad man, lost in the high of watching the match and the atmosphere. Before he realized what he was doing his hands had already cupped around his mouth. The cheering got louder and louder, matching the preening Onix's victorious roars over and over.

"ASH KETCHUM!" He responded as loud as his voice would carry. Brock's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but Ash fell victim to the jolt of electricity zapping his insides. His smile grew larger and more wolfish as the seconds ticked by.

There was some muttering and the crowd was a mix of laughter and surprise as they took in the ten year old with his dirty clothes and childlike smile. Eventually someone passed the message to the speaker and he voiced the arrival of the new challenger. Ash's small frame urgently pushed his way through the crowd, the closer he got to the brilliant light, making his heart thump harder and harder.

His hand carefully caressed his pokeball as he looked his opponent in the eye. The beast of an Onix first, and then its trainer. The teen with gold hair wore a black shirt that showed off his muscles and a pair of dark wash jeans. His head tilted curiously at Ash, before he accepted his challenge with a brief smile and incline of his head.

Ash raised his hand to throw the pokeball, the smile never disappearing from his face despite the taunts and laughter from the crowd. He was rearing to go, and he knew Onix would be too. Onix's dislike for him wasn't even a thought as he mentally prepared for the battle.

It was an addiction he realized, in that moment. Something akin to a thirst that could never truly be quenched, just maintained.

The reason that is, why a true trainer just couldn't ignore the call for battle.

VV

Hey guys, I am so sorry that this chapter took so long but between work and my computer of almost five years finally giving up on me it's been incredibly difficult to find time to write. I've been making my way to the library in my free time (which is very rare) but don't worry, I'm not giving up on this story. Just getting a new laptop with my current expenses is going to be a difficult thing to do.

I tried to make up for this chapter because believe it or not it's over 28 thousand words! Sixty four freaking pages man. But, all of it was necessary to be in this chapter. Oh, and if it's not obvious, yes, Ash will be staying in Pewter awhile.

But despite this, I think you guys will find the next chapter to be very engaging and fun to read. Expect battles, training (both pokemon and Ash), more of the feast, rehabilitation (hint hint) and an introduction to Brock's family, and more importantly a little insight on the life of Kanto's favorite perverted gym leader.

Oh, and if you guys could find it in your heart to donate me some money, it would be MUCH appreciated. The link says it's for my japan trip, but if I get enough money I'll really use it towards buying a new laptop. If not, no hard feelings.

You can either cash app me at: brittanyjenk

Or try and mess with this stupid link. https: x84v6-study-abroad-in-japan

On to answering reviews.

 _Alpha_

" _This is really boring now…I mean c'mom…trainers don't struggle that much. And u drag the story toooooo much…its annoying."_  
-I'm sorry that you feel that way. I kind of gave a heads up in the first chapter (and every single one that comes after) an idea on what this story would be about. A ten year old on a journey that could possibly kill him? Maybe it's just me but I defiantly see one struggling a lot, though over what is debatable. As for pacing, yes I like to take things slow, so again sorry that this fic isn't for you. But yea, I can't please everyone and while that makes me sad as a writer, I have to be realistic.

 _NineLivesBladeworks_

" _I both loved and hated this chapter. The separation from the Zorua was both beautiful and heartrending. Please tell me they'll be reunited eventually (pretty please). Other than that keep up the good work."_

-Hah! A lot of people had mixed feelings about the previous chapter since it was so mushy. I tried to balance it out with all the action in this chapter though…side note…thanks to everyone who was able to make it past the last chapter, I still have mixed feelings myself about it. Anyway, as for Zorua, you'll have to wait and see.

Oh, and a lot of people have been asking about nicknames and I'm a little iffy about them. I think one or two of Ash's pokemon might get them, but the rest? Nah. Unless you guys can comment with some seriously cool nicknames to make me change my mind haha.

 _Mateusz_

 _So sorry it took so long to leave this review. This one's a little short on constructive criticism; I hope you don't mind._

 _Actually, I'm studying abroad right now during a summer session since I don't have time over the semester. It's great so far. I'm sure you already know this, but make sure to get grants and scholarships from your university! I got a ridiculous amount of money for writing a 200 word blurb, for example.I really enjoyed this chapter. Pacing, as I've mentioned before, is one of your strengths, so I like your decision in regards to Zorua and Meowth. It gives us something to look forward to in the future. However, I did feel that this chapter would have flowed much better if you put a scene or two in between Zorua's capture and Ash stumbling across Spearow. As it was, it felt jarring. Ash's speech to Bulbasaur near the end of the chapter was a great moment. It drew a lesson from all of Ash's struggles so far without moralizing or sounding too on the nose. I hope I can pull off something like that in my own story, haha. I'm looking forward to the onix encounter. You've sufficiently hyped it and I'm sure you can deliver._

Wow, I always look forward to reading your review! Don't mind it, I actually took a lot from this one while it was shorter than your others. I noticed that part being very jarring too, I'm going to go back and tweak some things, though not mess with anything major or too noticeable. Anyway, I really hope you like Onix's capture, I agonized over writing it for soooo long, and I had serious writer's block lol. Oh, wow! Are you in Japan? But how is studying abroad, it has to be amazing!? It's looking like I won't be able to but I'm not giving up yet lol. By the way that reminds me! I actually read your story a good few weeks ago. It was really good, and I was sad to only see one chapter. I hope you update soon, and I'll probably re-read it so that I can leave you a nice lengthy review like you always kindly leave me.

If you guys get a chance totally check out this guys story! He's using a pokemon I haven't yet read in fanfiction!

 _EnchantingNightmares_

 _Bulbasuar is such an underused Pokemon in this fandom._

 _I think you were right in not making Zorua Ash's first capture. I've read to many stories where Ash gets a rare or a legendary or a powerful Pokemon right off the bat. Making Spearow the first capture was the right move. And Zorua will make an excellent subplot sometime in the future. Meowth as well. I enjoy the realism of the story (well as real as it can be). Most people don't realize how dangerous and terrifying the Pokemon world could actually miss a few things. Like sometimes you forget to capitalize the Pokemon's name (see: "bulbasuar" instead of "Bulbasaur").I'm also pretty thrilled there isn't any ridiculous nicknames. I'm all for people nicknaming their Pokemon, but it's sometimes hard to remember which Pokemon is which in FanFiction. Not saying it's a bad thing. There are great stories where the Pokemon are nicknamed. But it's just my opinion._

-Thanks for the nice words and excellent advice. I also agree that Bulbasaur is underused and trust me, I'm loving giving the grass type the much needed spotlight. Idk what it is, but I find his character so fun to write! Oh, and I'll be sure to go back and edit over the previous chapters to smooth them out. I'll keep an eye out for those mistakes in particular. I also felt it was too soon for Ash to get Zorua which is why he didn't get her. And, I completely agree with you about the nicknames. If I do give some out, rest assured that it won't be more than three or four. The only story that nicknames almost all their pokemon and I actually remember them is traveler and well, let's be honest that story is kind of the exception to all the rules.

Now, if you guys do choose to review I'd love if you could answer one of these two questions if not both!

What do you think of Brock so far?

Out of everything to happen in this chapter what was your favorite moment, interaction or scene? (If you have one)

Bye guys, and leave me some love please, it motivates me to hop on the bus and make that ride to the library.

-thejuvenile


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Wow its been so long since I've updated this story. The main reason is writer's block, but I won't bore you guys with the details and excuses. Please read and enjoy this chapter, and of course review!

Even now, I have so many iffy thoughts about this chapter.

 **ooo**

The air around a gym leader was different, Ash mused.

Breathing became strenuous as the air circulated to the more overbearing presence, leaving him breathless, with a furious heart trying to escape his chest. His tongue shriveled up and his palms became moist as he looked ahead to the figure that attracted attention with a casual, yet confident stride.

Ash's chocolate eyes didn't waver from the gym leader, nothing but the subtle whistle of the breeze tickling his cheek able to catch his attention. The sun had barely risen, the city a ghost town as a result, but that too was lost on him as he followed Brock mesmerized.

Being in the presence of a gym leader was suffocating because it made one all too aware of their shortcomings. The shift in Brock's shoulders screamed "inferior" and the loud stomp of his boots made Ash yearn to bow his head in submission.

He didn't of course, but it was a battle fighting his body's natural desires to shrink away in the presence of the one that commanded the space.

Ash still had much to learn, and last night had proven how naïve he was. He stared after Brock's back, suddenly more aware how much of a horrible impression he must have left on someone he looked up to.

 _He must think I'm some idiot_ , he thought bitterly.

After so vocally challenging that trainer to an Onix duel, Brock stepped in to snatch his pokeball, quick to remind Ash that he didn't have control over his pokemon. Everything was a blur after that, leaving the stadium flustered and disoriented, the "boos" ringing in his ears, and the firm words coming from Brock to reprimand him.

The walk back to the center had been humbling as Ash quietly answered all of Brock's questions about Onix, embarrassed and exhausted at making a fool out of himself.

He got carried away. Lost in the moment and easily sucked in by the addicting atmosphere. He wasn't usually so dense, nor so far from reason. It was only the taste of battle that could stir him so.

But, Brock definitely didn't see it that way. The gym leader probably saw a foolish little boy who almost released a pokemon he had utterly no control over. The embarrassment Ash felt from last night lingered, even now his cheeks felt hot as Brock walked silently ahead.

Ash bit his lip in debate; surely Brock wasn't too disappointed, right? The gym leader had sought him out this morning at the Pokemon Center after all. Well, either way, he needed to know so Ash gathered his courage to address the donphan in the room.

"Brock," he called out suddenly. His grip tightened on the greatball as he recalled Brock's words that had convinced him to give up his morning, which would normally consist of visiting Spearow.

" _Come, we're going to release that Onix of yours. We'll have our work cut out for us."_

"Yes?" Brock kept pace, his voice coming out deeper and hoarser than Ash remembered. Ash hesitated as it dawned on him Brock was only up so early because of him. Surely the gym leader had more pressing matters to attend to or at the very least, more sleep he could have accumulated before starting his day.

"Why are you doing this for me?" He asked bluntly, watching Brock pause and turn slightly to appraise him. Ash recalled what Brock said last night. That the teen couldn't just allow Ash to leave his city with no control over his pokemon. Ash truly believed the words of the older boy.

But, he couldn't dismiss the pestering speculation that there was more. Ash waited, wondering if Brock would repeat the same words he used last night. Or maybe, he thought as the seconds ticked by, he'd be ignored.

"You remind me of my little brother," Brock finally obliged, quietly. Ash blinked, caught off guard by the vulnerability in Brock's voice. Stifling silence filled the space as Brock raised his large hand to grab his chin, clearly deep in thought.

"Ambitious with the intelligence and drive to back it up, but rash and a tendency to run into trouble. You're the spitting image of him so I couldn't leave you alone." Brock explained with a tight shrug.

"Oh." Ash finally got out, a little flustered at Brock's compliment. He wanted to defend the assessment of him being "rash" but with last night's incident still fresh he knew that was a lost cause. Instead, he decided to be relieved Brock's opinion of him hadn't been muddied by one senseless action.

"How many siblings do you have?" He settled on instead, feeling a little stalker like for asking when he knew the answer. But, he didn't want the empty air around them to continue, so he decided to fill it with words.

Brock replied with a fond smile. "Nine."

"Which one do I remind you of?"

Brock's easy smile caved as his face twisted, a thick eyebrow dipping. "Forrest, he's the oldest other than me, and four years older than you."

Ash nodded at the new information. He was curious if he'd get the chance to meet the brother Brock claimed he was the spitting image of.

"Does he work at the gym?"

Brock started walking again, and Ash sent the lunatone hovering behind them a sideway glance as he raced to walk by the gym leader's side. Identifying the Hoenn native had been easy because he'd had the pleasure of meeting one once on the ranch.

The crescent moon shaped pokemon was fun to observe and its unwaveringly blank expression and silent hovering left Ash curious to its personality. Brock hadn't introduced him to his pokemon formally, which only piqued Ash's interest more on why the psychic was present.

"No. Judging by the last time he reached out, he's somewhere in Hoenn. He's the type that can't stay put too long."

Ash smiled, understanding that sentiment completely. Often, he tried to pinpoint the reason to why he yearned to travel. Perhaps it was a consequence of growing up in a small town constantly teased with the tales of adventures, but really there was no way to be sure.

The conversation eventually turned to Onix, pulling Ash back to the reality of releasing the angry rock serpent. Brock talked about warning signs of an impending outburst all while Ash gripped Onix's pokeball, more nervous as the scenery around them became more vacant.

Sidewalks and roads were replaced with daisies and lilies and the old sturdy architecture was substituted with the openness of plains. They had long ago left the city and soon they would approach a spot Brock would deem appropriate to release Onix. The wind drifted, carrying the smell of aging oaks as Brock continued his lecture.

"Your Onix," Ash interrupted smoothly. "How do you calm them down? When they get really angry and just go on a rampage?"

"I don't," Brock confessed. "Onix are a pokemon you don't talk down. It's too dangerous to try. If someone's found a way I'd like to know, but I doubt I'd attempt it. All I do is work on techniques to help them maintain their cool. Prevention is the key. But, even the most peaceful giants reach their breaking point, and there's no turning back from that."

"What do you do when that happens?"

Brock shrugged.

"Contrary to popular belief," Brock began sternly, "the healthiest way is to just let them release their pent-up frustration. Stuffing them in their pokeball may seem like the easiest and safest solution but there's no sure way to predict their state of mind once you release them again or the negative consequences from doing it often."

Ash's eyebrows rose at that. He remembered the Professor casually commenting on an "fascinating" research paper about pokeballs and their potentially negative effects on a pokemon's state of mind, but this was the first time someone has warned him about it in person.

Many professionals advocated for returning pokemon at the sign of a tantrum to avoid self-harm, and destruction of the surroundings but it actually made sense that the former didn't apply to an Onix. Not much could hurt them after all. So, Ash took the words to heart, knowing while they came from someone young, this was Brock's area of expertise.

"What if it happens in a place with other people or-"

"Put him in his pokeball. Never risk the safety of bystanders or yourself. Just return him and get anywhere vacant as quick as possible. It's happened to me before. Cerberus lost his temper once during a gym match. I conceded and immediately had Lunatone transport us somewhere he could destroy everything in sight with no repercussions."

Ash sent an interested glance at the pokemon behind him, and it stared back at him without blinking, it's "face" completely void of any emotion. A bit unsettled, he turned away from the unresponsive pokemon.

Brock smiled tightly at the memory. "Until that loss Cerberus only had one other official one under his belt. The blow to my pride was upsetting, but I'd put the safety of my opponent's pokemon, and Cerberus over it any day."

Ash's eyes widened at the information, silently impressed that Brock's Onix only had two official losses.

"Oh! This might sound like common sense but don't forget to stand clear when your Onix starts rampaging. Even veterans make the mistake of forgetting their pokemon won't distinguish them in a fit of rage when crap hits the fan."

Ash nodded diligently at Brock's words. He took a mental note of the advice and pulled up his notepad on his xtransceiver to look at his list of questions he'd written up. His eyes scanned the long list before he found one he'd been dying to ask.

"I was asked," he began slowly, "how I would feed an Onix. I honestly never thought about it, and I still have no clue. What should I feed Onix? I don't even know how I'd be able to afford it…"

Brock stopped walking.

Ash shuffled, uncomfortable under his gaze. When a few passing moments went by Brock sighed and ran a hand stiffly through his thick hair.

"Well, there's a few ways to go about it. Personally, when I don't have time to oversee their feasting I take the expensive route and order tons of soil and supplements from a merchant, though you expressed that's not an option for you."

"Alright, let's start with the basics. You know Onix is an omnivore, right?"

Ash was fast to nod, he knew at least that much. Onix ate meat, but they preferred soils and large boulders.

Brock spent the next few minutes explaining how an Onix received all their necessary dietary intake in a day. He went into depth and seemed impressed that Ash had no problem keeping up with his detailed lesson.

"Alright, so one of the reasons Onix are so hard to feed once captured is because a lot of trainers don't feel comfortable releasing their Onix to let them burrow to find food themselves. Once a pokemon is under your ownership, you're responsible for their actions should something happen…"

It clicked for Ash. A lot of trainers with Onix gave in to the fear of the stereotype associated with the pokemon and the consequences that could come from one mistake. It was painfully ironic, since you would think they would be more understanding with hands-on experience.

"…and some places you may travel to environment might not fulfill their diet anyway. There's a reason Onix prefer rocky, mountainous terrain. It's a bountiful feasting ground."

Ash frowned. While he appreciated the lecture, Brock had done nothing but cast more doubt on his ability to feed an Onix.

"So, what should I do?"

"You're going to trust your Onix."

Ash's brows furrowed, then raised.

"He's spent his entire life providing for himself and tunneling. There's no reason he can't continue to get his own meals under your ownership. He'll have to burrow in land unpopulated and unowned, but it'll work. I do it often with my own pokemon when I have the time."

"Of course, there will be some places you'll travel to whose soils aren't the most compatible with him, so just research every place you travel to in advance. It's tedious, but this is the cheapest and most effective method for you. If the soils don't align with Onix's diet then you can purchase some in bulk from a pokemart. If they do, great, but if they don't and you're short on cash then scrap by on just a boulder and meat diet. Actually, an occasional meat diet is good, the chase helps combat aggression…"

Brock trailed off on a rant about the importance of "the hunt" to pokemon that ate meat, never noticing the revelation come across Ash's face.

Ash's smile came in slow before it grew to a grin that hurt.

It would work!

"Brock!" Ash blurted, feeling his spirts renewed from a situation he'd thought previously to be hopeless.

Brock, startled, trailed off. "What?"

"You're a genius!" Ash proclaimed with a cheesy smile.

Brock stilled, then carefully returned his smile and reached a large rough hand forward to lightly pat Ash's bed hair. Ash felt heat creep up his neck, and when the gym leader turned, his hand unconsciously made its way to the spot on his head that had been ruffled.

"Well, no disagreements from me there! Though let's save that observation for after we get some control over that Onix, alright?"

Ash nodded and noticed they hadn't been walking for a few minutes. The space around them was completely deserted, not a person or pokemon in sight. For as far as his eyes could see there was nothing but grassy plains.

"Ash," Brock began carefully. "There is a good chance Onix will attack you. If that happens, don't panic and dodge to the best of your abilities. Lunatone will keep you safe if you mess up but push through on your own accord until I say otherwise."

A wave of uneasiness raced through Ash at the mere thought of being attacked. With difficulty, he pushed it aside to try and dissect Brock's order for him to dodge. It was a strange one, especially since Ash wasn't confident in his skills to do just that since the last time he released his capture he ended up with broken ribs. He didn't want to question Brock though, and his desire to appease the gym leader made him shove down the concerns on his tongue.

"Go ahead Ash, release him."

Ash sent a passing glance to Lunatone who floated inconspicuously behind Brock, the latter whose eyes were hardened with concentration. The gym leader had assured him the psychic was capable of handling anything Onix could dish out, but Ash was understandably hesitant.

Brock gave a stiff nod of his head in Ash's direction which made him gulp with unease. Judging from Brock's personality, he knew it was meant to be encouraging like a light pat in the right direction, but the teen's rough features made it seem more like a shove off a mountain.

With a flicker of psychic energy, the young gym leader and Lunatone disappeared from sight, likely to a spot they could still watch from a safe view. Feeling a wave of fear approach, Ash hastily took a breath and hit the release button on the great ball.

Ash was ready for the tremble, feet a shoulder width apart and imbedded into the ground so his body could anticipate any sudden shifts. Despite this preparation for the pokemon's – no, _his_ pokemon's entrance, his eyes still glossed over in surprise when the earth pathetically crumbled beneath the behemoth's massive weight, creating a deep, wide chasm from its subtle wriggling.

Ash swallowed hard as the hulking figure ten times his height manifested into the clearing. Once it's massive body composed of some of the strongest minerals known to man settled comfortably, he had just a fleeting second to appreciate the specimen in its entirety.

The moment was gone, quicker than it came when Onix's maw came ajar and an excruciatingly loud, painful noise gushed out. Ash's palms slapped his ears painfully, but the action did not dull the noise nor ease the ringing that emerged. Through slit eyes he took in the beast that blocked out the sun, stretching its long, rocky form greedily toward the sky.

Then, Onix noticed him.

The beast's large black eyes glossed over with _something_ as it zeroed in on him and opened its maw to growl at him directly. Ash faltered at the sudden air pressure, throwing his hands up hastily to block the airborne rocks that had escaped the monster's wet cavern.

Several small rocks of various sizes grazed him, and when he dared to peep over the arms held up to protect his face, his neck hairs sprung up. He dropped, dodging the powerful rocky tail aimed full force at his body through pure luck.

Ash's face crashed into the ground, and when he tasted the foul dirt on his tongue, his instincts kicked in. He was on his feet the next instant, diving to avoid the same tail coming back with more force than before. The air _swooshed_ above him, a welcome relief from the sudden heatwave taking over his body.

Jet black pupils narrowed with rage, and the beast that owned them screamed a challenge that had Ash swallowing painfully. He winced at his protesting ribs, a silent reminder that while he was healed, there would be consequences from throwing his body around so recklessly.

Ash licked his split lip, tasting iron as he eyed the beast warily for its next move.

His heart jumped to his throat when the beast suddenly slammed its head into dirt, shaking the planet to its core with the forcible movement. Heavy sweat made its way down his face and Ash turn and ran the second the end of the beast's tail ducked into the hole to follow the rest of its body.

Ash ran, trying desperately to channel some speed or strategy or _anything_ that would help him avoid what was coming next _._ Onix was going to attack from below, come right under him so that his body had no choice other than to fall into the beats awaiting-

Ash shook his head. He was aware the beast could sense his movement but even in his frazzled state he understood anything was better than being a sitting psyduck.

A muffled whimper escaped him when the ground grumbled, and Ash felt his heart accelerate to know Onix was resurfacing right where he was. His arms pumped furiously and his feet were blurs but the earth beneath him still gave way until nothing was left. He was no longer standing, just falling, and he was afraid to look down to see onto _what_ he would fall on.

Something smashed into him hard, propelling him through the air as the wind whizzed painfully past his face. His landing was a violent tumble in which his knees skidded against the ground and his limbs banged awkwardly against one another.

He allowed himself a split second to let out a nasty cough, willing the stars in his vision to settle. It was a brutal save on Lunatone's part, but obviously preferable over the alternative.

When he picked his head up to where Onix was a few hundred feet away, the confusion in the beasts' eyes was quickly dimmed by blood thirst. Ash's shoulders drooped as a disheartening thought passed.

 _Onix was really trying to kill him._

Ash sucked in a desperate breath, trying to ease his mind with the knowledge Lunatone would continue to protect him quietly as it could so Onix wouldn't catch on. Ash prepared himself, knowing full well he was the object of Onix's hatred and it would be a long time before that emotion was quelled.

Onix's boulders grinded against each other, the sound making Ash feel like his ears were bleeding. He felt tired as the beast propelled itself forward, but he moved to dodge because the situation was entirely his fault.

More than ever it was evident in that moment that catching the beast had truly been the easiest part.

ooo

Ash rolled along the ground, effortlessly transitioning from a crouch to a run effortlessly from reflex. He was exhausted, his muscles tight and screaming louder each inch he dared to move them. He didn't know how long he'd been dodging Onix's attacks but the wearier he became the more Onix seemed to thrash his body around with the vigor of a hunter having cornered its prey.

If he showed the behemoth weakness, its lust for blood lashed out to take advantage.

Ash screamed out in frustration, briefly wondering the whereabouts of Brock and Lunatone. He couldn't afford wasting the second or two it would take to look for them but he figured since he captured Onix's complete attention they were out of sight.

Or maybe, Ash thought as the beast stared at him, its pupils seemingly getting smaller and smaller each second; Onix had tunnel vision. The monster of a pokemon was so transfixed on its revenge it hadn't even caught on that another pokemon was keeping Ash safe whenever he slipped up.

Slip ups that were becoming more and more frequent. Ash dabbed at his eyes unconsciously to rid his burning vision of the sweat that had fallen in. His throat felt tight as he continued to run, knowing he couldn't spare a glance back.

But, Onix was gaining on him, his long thick body thumping along the ground so ferociously Ash was convinced the world itself was moving from its force. Even without the agility tunneling allowed, Onix was a still a speedy monster to be reckoned with when slithering on land.

"Ash! Return him!" Brock's scream caused his neck hairs to stand up straighter than they already were. He went into a panic as he fumbled for the greatball, diving to the ground so that when he tumbled over he would be facing the great rock snake.

When he clicked the return button Onix's head was only a mere twenty feet from him. Ash watched Onix disappear into the light and released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

The next second, he gave in to his body's commands. His knees collapsed, which caused his head to break his fall, and while his landing was on soft grass it was still painful. He sucked in air greedily, wiping at the sweat on his face with his drenched sleeve.

"Mew," he whispered, horrified at the image of two pitch black diluted pupils traced in on his small form. It took some time, but when his heart began to calm he assessed himself. There were two holes in his jeans that revealed his raw knees. Ash hissed from the persistent stinging, now fully capable of feeling everything now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

This included his aching ribs and the pounding of his brain. He would have a headache later, and his body would be incredibly sore. His eyes eventually fell to his scratched-up hands and he was reminded of his time in Viridian Forest when the thorny forestation lashed out at his lack of preparation.

No more putting it off, he needed gloves.

Brock approached him, but Ash looked past the gym leader to assess the plains that had fallen victim to Onix's rage. His heart dropped at what he saw. In the time Onix had spent trying to kill him, the pokemon had destroyed a dozen acres worth of land.

Feeling somber at the thousands of daisies and lilies lying dead around him, he was sympathetic to Professor Oak's frustration at him catching Onix and to Brock's voice that had been so stern as he lectured him for his negligence. The power Onix held could not be dismissed, and underestimating it was surely fatal.

His heart was heavy as his view shifted to Lunatone whose single eye flickered in response to his gaze.

"Thank you for your help, Lunatone," He said, truly grateful for the pokemon's role in helping him understand firsthand his pokemon capabilities.

Lunatone bristled at his gratitude then sprang into action. It floated around him anxiously as its single red eye flickered in a code like motion. Ash chuckled softly at the pokemon's actions as Brock spoke.

"You wouldn't have dodged that last one without Lunatone. Onix didn't notice you were getting help, he was confused, but his anger was trumping reason. He would have caught on to Lunatone and all the respect you earned would have been lost."

"Respect?" Ash coughed out skeptically. To him, what just transpired had nothing to do with respect, he was merely fighting for his life.

"Yes, Ash, respect. Rock types are different. Many of them can't be won over with words nor can their submission be beaten into them. They have to respect their trainer for things to work, and one thing they respect is power."

Ash frowned. The explanation made sense, but he couldn't help but feel like a phony. Onix thought he was really putting his life on the line when in reality he hadn't been in real danger for a second.

"How long was I dodging?"

"Thirty minutes-" Ash couldn't help but cringe, because being out there time had felt infinite. He was so sure that he'd been running for hours. "Which is good considering the circumstances."

"Circumstances?"

"You just challenged an Onix to a one on one fight. Of course, there's no way you'll ever win but the idea is to keep at it until he acknowledges you. It's a common tactic many experienced trainers use and considering your age and the kind of pokemon whose respect your trying to earn, you did very well Ash."

"How long will it take?"

Brock's hardened expression turned sheepish. "It all depends on the pokemon. Onix are usually trickier because their size equates to bigger egos. With Lola I was lucky enough that mutual respect was there from the beginning..."

"…and Cerberus?" Ash piped up with interest. Not much was known about Brock's starter after all. Those who were lucky enough to see Cerberus in action were few and fewer have had the privilege of personally battling the pokemon.

"Cerberus was a special case." Brock dismissed coolly. Ash waited, but it became clear Brock wouldn't elaborate from his standoffish stance.

"How so?" He pushed.

Brock responded with a gruff, "He just was."

Ash gave up once he heard the strained tone.

The conversation continued after that, but it was apparent to both the air had shifted. There was reluctance in Brock's eyes and soon the gym leader dismissed himself with a halfhearted farewell.

Ash frowned, taken over by the same frustration one would feel after accidentally hitting the reset button on a game. Despite his intimidating appearance, Brock had a welcoming air about him that Ash had taken to.

Though with all the stories he'd been told, he really knew little about the gym leader, and as he watched Brock walk off with Lunatone trailing behind, shooting Ash longing glances, he realized there was a mysterious air to Brock.

Hoping to understand more about the young gym leader his feet carried him to the Feast. Under the rays of light, he found himself more appreciative of the craftmanship of the architecture and how it resembled ancient stadiums from Kanto's beginnings. In times when the nobles had casted the poor to be slaughtered for their amusement, under the guise of quelling the mysterious beasts that treaded the land.

It was in a place like this that Red, the first Champion, had made a stand. A man born with chains and no name had been sentenced to death by the very people who enslaved him.

Ash took to the tunnels, immediately grateful to see they were lighted by lanterns. When he stepped into the low visibility, his breath was taken from him. The flames from the lanterns casted dancing shadows along the graffiti on the wall.

Ash took in Charizards, Rhydon, Onix, and many other beautifully, realistically drawn pokemon in silent amazement.

When he was certain the sight was burned into his brain, he began walking, instantly pleased that the images followed him on his stroll. Through the dim lighting he was able to make out all the colors of the rainbow and images so brilliantly drawn the masterpieces felt _alive_.

Ash paused when his eyes fell on a haunting black, faded large print that spelled out, "TRIUMPHS".

Around it, hundreds of accomplishments circled around the word and Ash found himself frozen as he took to reading some.

" _I've decided…I'm going to Johto"_

" _It was so hard…but I caught a Rhyhorn!"_

" _Me and Geodude won our first badge!"_

" _Were going to Indigo this year"_

Immediately, Ash's heart surged with yearning to join them and trace in his own small accomplishment in the wall, but with the mornings events, he wasn't convinced he was worthy of it. Feeling a little down, he continued his walk and five minutes later he stumbled upon similar faded writing as the word triumph. This time, a different word was etched into the wall.

"FRUSTRATIONS"

Ash was taken aback to how many people had contributed to that single word. He felt overwhelmed and a little hesitant to read the failures and vulnerability so many people revealed. He stood there a long time, eyes glossed over in sympathy and resolved to read the testimonies left by hundreds who had lost hope in achieving their dreams.

" _It was fun while it lasted"_

" _I've lost count of the losses"_

" _I gave up. I released Sandshrew."_

" _Maybe next year…"_

" _This isn't it for me. I have more to give. I won't let this challenge best me."_

Ash paused at that one. Reading it over he found he could identify with it. He was also fighting a battle he couldn't foresee a favorable outcome to.

Then, it dawned on Ash.

Champion Red too had been faced with a seemingly unwinnable situation, but he prevailed. Ash took a frantic look around.

In a place like this where the first Champion had been condemned to a brutal end, his legacy was born. Time had spun, but the tendrils of fate had other plans for the dying man.

Ash took a step back as he realized he wouldn't be able to read all the testimonies. Though, it became apparent to him what this place _really_ was. Brock had referred to it as a home for many, but Ash understood it was more than that. It was a symbol of hope for struggling trainers, a homage to the legacy Kanto's first champion left behind.

This place was a start, the second chance so many believed that if they had, they could be _different_ and chase the _impossible_.

A smile carefully spread as Ash came to terms with the fact that Brock had created this place. He shifted the book bag off his shoulders and took to dumping its contents in hopes of finding what he was looking for.

He wasn't sure if he had one, but—there! Right between the potions and empty plastic-ware he found a fat, red marker. Ash picked it up with satisfaction and wrote his own bubbling frustration into the wall.

As he stared at the drying writing he took to putting the flashlights, ropes, first-aid kit, and other items back into his bag where they belonged. With the longer his journey became, he found his bag getting heavier and more unorganized. He would need to purchase some storage compartments to lighten his load.

He took one last glance at his handwriting and continued down the tunnel.

" _I might not be a strong enough trainer for Onix"_

ooo

Being inside the stadium during daytime was evidently less overwhelming than night. There were significantly less people and a lack of energy that came with the absence of the moon's light. The pokemon battling were less impressive than the behemoth's that were Onix, but Ash still found it to be a good time killer.

He quickly settled on a bench and released Bulbasaur because he knew his starter would be appreciative of the lightning his choice in seating had to offer. Then, he watched the matches and somehow got tangled in an addicting activity.

Gambling.

It started innocently enough. While watching a match between a shuckle and an overzealous corsola he had turned to disturb Bulbasaur's sleep to give his opinion on who he thought would come out on top.

The shuckle was young and cautious, but he noticed the trainer that commanded it seemed calm and had an experienced look about them. Then there was the corsola, big for its species and extremely aggressive.

Bulbasaur brushed off his comment with a simple glance between the two opponents and a scoff, but Ash was overheard. There weren't many trainers in the arena like stadium at the time, but a glasses wearing teen a few rows down turned to him to question what he said.

"Shuckle…really?" Ash could pinpoint the disbelief a mile away as the teen pushed up his thin frames.

"Yeah," Ash was quick to defend, a little surprised he'd been overheard. "It's trainer seems to know what he's doing."

Calculated cinnamon eyes narrowed on him in an assessing manner, before turning back to the match. Ash thought the conversation was over, but the teen stood ten seconds later, climbing over the two benches to reach his hand forward.

"I'd take that bet. Say, ten pokedollars?"

Ash's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he hesitated to turn down the gamble because of the confident gleam in the guy's eyes. Ash had a speculation.

 _The teen thought it was easy money._

Ash quickly darted his eyes back to the match just in time to see corsola slam its body into the unsuspecting shuckle. Ash frowned and was about to decline the bet before shuckle's trainer smiled. Ash watched the tilted edges of the teen's lips a few seconds longer and turned back to the guy waiting patiently for his response.

"You're on," Ash decided, leaning forward to take hold of the teen's scrawny hand.

For the rest of the match he'd been on the edge of his seat, feet tapping the ground impatiently, eyes racing to take in the proceedings. Every time Shuckle executed an attack flawlessly he was ready to jump up and cheer but whenever it took punishment he was on the verge of berating himself for losing money so senselessly.

More than anything he needed to be saving for Zorua's sake. He knew that, but his confidence over the outcome had bested him, and the idea of earning money in such an easy fashion was too tempting to past up. So, when Shuckle won with a devastating rollout, he was all smiles as he collected his winnings from the grumpy teen.

Pocketing the money and eyes glistening from adrenaline, he watched a Rhyhorn and Shieldon step onto the muddied battlefield. His eyes swept over the two pokemon, noticing right away the cracks in shieldon's mask that hinted to experience. He examined Rhyhorn next, and when he finished reflecting on the trainers he swept his gaze to scout someone to bet with him.

That was how he spent his morning and most of the afternoon. He lost a few bets, but the activity had been good for him.

Experience wasn't everything and first impressions were often misleading. Many of the matches had been decided by strategy and battlefield prowess or luck. Ash was learning so much, diligently scrawling the things that had taken him by surprise or impressed him into a crumpled notebook.

Surprisingly, when they left at a quarter to four it was at the beckoning of Bulbasaur who for the first time since Ash knew him, was tired of lazing around. They left the arena to return to the pokemon center, two hundred pokedollars richer than they came.

Ash decided he would return tomorrow, but he resolved not to get swept up in the activity. He wouldn't neglect Bulbasaur's training, and because he'd gotten carried away visiting hours were over. His insides twisted with a bit of guilt at the thought of his flying type waiting for him.

When he returned to the city, he purchased Spearow some berries as an apology and prepared to face the avian's wrath the next day. Despite his guilt though, he didn't regret how he spent a good portion of his day. The money earned would be put into his savings for the auction and he'd only use fifteen percent of his winnings to kickstart tomorrow's betting.

All in all, it wasn't a bad day.

As he entered the pokemon center he encountered Brock's sister as she was leaving. Their eyes met, and they almost ran into each other, so he felt a bit of pressure to acknowledge her.

"Hey Yolanda." He said, happy her name had come to him so easily. Her hair was in a spiky ponytail like before and she wore a plain black shirt and shorts. He felt a rush of déjà vu when her analytical hazel eyes swept over him.

"Hey…" Her lips were in a frown and she looked a tad uncomfortable. Ash shook off her similar appearance to Brock when he realized she probably didn't remember his name.

"Ash." He supplied, surprised to find her frown twist to an easy smile and her head to bob enthusiastically.

"Yes! Ash, sorry I'm not very good with names." She apologized, making him recall his last interaction with her. From his memories she wasn't nearly as friendly as now.

"That's okay, I'm usually the same way." He couldn't be mad with her, after all he only remembered hers by a stroke of good luck.

"Where are you headed?" She asked, making his eyebrows rise when she turned to follow him back into the center, the opposite way she'd been headed. He brushed it off, maybe she just wanted to talk for a bit.

"I'm hoping to get my hands on a private training room. Bulbasaur is working on takedown." He nodded down to the grass type, walking between them protectively and shooting the girl a warning glance.

Ironically, she didn't pay Bulbasaur's scowl any mind because her eyes sparkled, and she reached to pet him, only to stop when he curled his maw and raised his vine threateningly.

She pulled back, eyeing Bulbasaur warily. Ash could barely stifle his laughter behind his hand. "Don't take it personally, Bulbasaur barely likes me."

A blush fell over her pale face and her pout followed them to an empty training room.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yeah?" Her tone was hesitant, and he deduced that it probably had something to do with why she elected to follow him.

"Can I train with you?" She blurted out, much to his surprise. "I have a pokemon Bulbasaur's size that could help him with takedown," she quickly followed with.

"Sure," Ash accepted, a little too easily. He watched her hesitant smile evolve before his own eyes. Really, why would he turn down the opportunity for a training partner for Bulbasaur?

"Though…what do you get out of helping me? Wouldn't you have other pokemon you could train with?"

Yolanda shook her. "No, I only have three pokemon. My Bonsly doesn't battle and Golem is in his final evolved form so whenever I try to get him to train with Chiro it's just…too big of a difference in power. It helped in the beginning but now it does more harm than good."

Ash found himself nodding understandably at her explanation. He imagined that once he got Onix under control he still wouldn't be able to use him to train with Bulbasaur nor Spearow much. Just like she pointed out, the difference in power and size would do more harm than good.

So, Ash found himself curiously asking what kind of pokemon Chiro was.

Yolanda responded to his question with a mysterious smirk, raising a pokeball in the clear, brightly lit room. What emerged in the fifty-foot-long space was a stocky quadrupedal pokemon he didn't recognize. Its body was covered in dark gray and its eyes a vibrant sky blue. Protruding ridges in segments sat upright starting from its skull and halting at its tail.

Its figure was littered with several dark holes, but what impressed Ash was the steely body that hinted to perfection. His brown eyes saw no visible weaknesses in its naturally armored body.

Upon seeing its surroundings, the pokemon jolted to life, excitedly sprinting toward Yolanda.

Ash pulled out Dexter, content to allow the device to reveal the pokemon to him.

" _Lairon, the steel and rock type pokemon. Lairon is the evolved form of aron and feeds on iron contained in rocks and water. It habitually shows off its strength with the size of sparks it creates by ramming its steel body into boulders."_

"Lairon, huh," Ash pondered as he looked up to see Yolanda receive her pokemon with wide arms, who sent them both sprawling along the floor in a fit of giggles and delighted barks.

Ash watched as Lairon's tongue rolled out of its mouth to lash out at the skin on Yolanda's face. The girl in question leaned away with visible discomfort. When she finally peeled her pokemon off her she frowned as she cradled her chin.

She stood, a bit disoriented, her ponytail frizzy and Lairon circling her impatiently for more attention.

When Yolanda chanced a glance his way he could see blood dripping between her fingers. His eyes widened in surprise. What was Lairon's tongue made of to have grazed her skin like that?

"What?"

Ash shifted away, he'd been staring.

"Nothing, Lairon's just quite a character."

Yolanda nodded, absently dabbing at the pool of blood dripping from her chin with a careful finger.

"Chiro's a bit headstrong and a doofus, but he means well. He battles hard and as you can see loves even harder."

Lairon whined, standing on its hind legs to peer at Yolanda closer. Its blue eyes were concerned as it finally realized it had harmed its trainer with its display of affection.

Yolanda sent a reassuring wink Lairon's way. "This? It's just a scratch, doesn't hurt a bit." Yolanda wiped her chin on her collar, reappearing with a cheeky smile and smeared blood on her chin.

Ash watched in silence, biting his tongue to stop himself from saying the teasing remark he wanted. Instead, he ushered Bulbasaur forward for a pep talk.

"Okay, looks like that's going to be your training partner so…hey! Don't make that face!" He sighed exasperatedly when Bulbasaur huffed, clearly not fond of the pokemon to be his training partner.

"Look, his body's no joke, so don't underestimate him, okay?"

"Saur," Bulbasaur sighed and his crimson eyes rolled into his head.

"Okay, Ash…we're ready when you are!" Yolanda called from her spot across the training field.

Ash ushered an approving nod to his starter and traced his movement. His saurian picked up speed, sprinting toward its training partner with a determined expression. When Bulbasaur's smaller body slammed into Lairon's larger steel one, Ash winced.

After the initial shock wore off Bulbasaur stood upright, glaring at Lairon with a sneer. Lairon blinked at Bulbasaur curiously, almost like it just realized it had been hit. The tackle clearly hadn't fazed the pokemon.

"Let it go on the record that wasn't a takedown! In fact, that barely passes for a tackle!" Yolanda cackled on her side, laughing at Bulbasaur's expense.

Ash frowned, ignoring her taunts as he ordered Bulbasaur into a starting position to try once more. Once more, Bulbasaur raced toward Lairon who barked excitedly, racing to meet the saurian halfway.

When the two pokemon clashed into each other the stronger force won out. Lairon sent Bulbasaur flying with a happy pant. Ash watched Bulbasaur crash into the ground with a sympathetic gaze.

It took a couple seconds but Bulbasaur got up from the punishment with a shake to rid himself of lingering jitters. The grass type snorted in the direction of the amused dual type before charging without prompting.

Bulbasaur threw himself at the space Lairon occupied but, in a surprising twist, Lairon sidestepped which caused Bulbasaur to hastily catch himself at the last second so he didn't go tumbling to the ground.

"Don't expect Lairon to be a sitting target!" Yolanda called from her side.

Ash traced the two pokemon's movement for a few minutes longer, silently analyzing Bulbasaur's training partner.

Lairon was stocky, and as a result incredibly slow. Its body was designed to take punishment and dish out harsh blows. Ash grit his teeth because he was confident in Bulbasaur's speed. He was certain that if it was a real battle his grass type would run circles around the dual type and do all he could to avoid being hit. Though, this wasn't a battle…

Bulbasaur huffed and raced after the happy steel/rock type, who was having fun with the game of tag. It wasn't long at all before Bulbasaur tackled the pokemon, catching it from behind easily with his speed.

The two tussled on the ground before getting up to take starting positions once more. Bulbasaur charged again, his tackle this time being met head on, Lairon pushing him back effortlessly.

Ash sighed.

This was clearly going to take a while.

ooo

The following weeks were a blur. He fell into a comfortable pattern, early mornings spent with Brock, Lunatone and a bloodthirsty Onix. There was no progress with the rock serpent as far as Ash could see, and whenever he voiced his concerns to Brock he was silenced with a lecture on patience.

Late mornings were spent watching fascinating battles and earning money at the Feast. So far Ash had earned nearly a thousand pokedollars, but he knew it wasn't even a dent in the sum he'd need for the auction.

His early afternoons were spent with Spearow and Bulbasaur who bonded over their agreed distaste for his choice of berries. Often, he fed them pamtre berries which were Zoura's favorite. He elected to keep his nostalgia to himself to avoid stirring up any feelings of guilt Bulbasaur may still hold from their failure to stop the two pokemon hunters.

Those moments were peaceful, filled with tales of adventure the future would bring, and playful banter with his flying and grass type.

Ash realized in those times, that his decision to stay a month longer in Pewter was the right one.

Finally, his days ended after the hours spent training with Yolanda as Bulbasaur trained with Chiro. In such a short time he grew to know more than he bargained for about Brock's firecracker of a little sister, and this included the insecurities bestowed on her by the talent her older brothers possessed.

The fifteen day, the pattern was broken.

The morning was different.

Onix did something out of character, electing to use a technique – sand tomb, to which Lunatone frantically followed through in helping him so he wasn't sucked in by the dangerous grains. Though in helping him, Onix finally caught on which resulted in Ash having to return him to Brock's prompting.

Brock left soon thereafter, face in deep thought as he assured Ash what happened wouldn't throw them off track on getting Onix under control.

He went to the Feast then, but only spent a few hours there because of a notification from the pokemon center. His comfortable schedule was disrupted once more, but the message was an unexpected yet welcome one.

It stated Nurse Joy was recommending Spearow for discharge.

His smile was wide and his stomach full of butterfrees as he raced to the pokemon center to see the flying type. When he got in line, he noticed Yolanda at the front.

"Yolanda!" He called out cheerfully, as she received four pokeballs from Nurse Joy and clipped them to her belt.

"Ash!" She blurted, joining him at the back and going off on a rampant to why she was there in the first place. She spent the morning in Viridian Forest—off the trails to get in some bonding time with her new Rhydon. Her story led her to describing how Rhydon's arrogance caused them to be chased by a swarm of beedrill.

"I swear! My life flashed before my eyes so many times. We were just running so fast and then randomly Rhydon decided to face them! I was screaming at him for being so cocky and he got mad at me for threatening to release Golem for help. It was crazy, Ash! So I just…!"

Ash nodded, half listening as he moved up with the shortening line. It wasn't that her story wasn't interesting, it was, it just couldn't compare to his impatience to have Spearow released.

It was a day that many times he feared wouldn't come. Today, he would see Spearow fly for the first time since – well, ever he realized with even more bristling excitement.

He was no longer trying to listen when she grabbed his arm just short of him coming up to the front desk. When he turned to look at her he realized he hadn't been paying attention. Her hazel eyes were sparkling and eventually dimmed when that dawned on her too.

Ash moved up the line, he was next.

"Well, what are you here for, Ash? A checkup for Onix and Bulbasaur?"

"No." He shook his head but realized that wasn't a bad idea. He should do that while he visited Spearow.

"I'm here to see my Spearow."

"Spearow? Wha-you didn't tell me you had another pokemon!"

Ash rolled his eyes to her glare and stepped forward to speak with Nurse Joy. While she may have been open and told him a lot about herself, he didn't return that courtesy. Though, he could sympathize with the hurt in her eyes. He helped her catch her Rhydon and had been an ear to her complaints these last two weeks and it just occurred to her she didn't know him as well as he knew her.

Nurse Joy smiled politely as she greeted him by name. He automatically reached to hand his pokeballs and Pokedex over.

"Mr. Ketchum, it's good to see you."

"Likewise, Nurse Joy. Could I get my two pokemon checked please and…Spearow, can I see him?"

ooo

Ask trekked to the back of the pokemon center where he released Spearow in an empty training field. His flying type emerged from the light with a proud screech, hopping in a full circle to take in his entire surroundings.

"Hey buddy! I've missed you!" He called fondly to his bird when Spearow set his single eye on him. The beady black eye widened in surprise before narrowing with mischief.

Ash matched the flying type's level of mischief with a growing smirk.

"So, I've heard you're being recommended to be discharged. You know, Nurse Joy is extremely impressed with your recovery time, she says you're really strong!"

Spearow squawked proudly and puffed out his chest as it soaked in the praise. Ash knelt, and Spearow happily hopped over and lifted his chin so Ash could scratch his sweet spot. As he listened to the bird hum in satisfaction he let his eyes roam over the bird to take in all the differences since he first met the pokemon.

There were new feathers in previously bald areas, and where cream feathers should be on his underbelly there were a few dark ones. Ash wasn't worried about that, it was healed and if the discoloration displeased Spearow, it'd be gone when he evolved. Then, there was the area around his missing eye. It looked better but by the turn of Spearow's head to keep him from staring he could tell it was an insecurity for his flying type.

He needed to do something about that soon, but for now he could only distract Spearow. He pulled out his whistle from his pocket.

"A whistle?" Yolanda asked behind him, and he instantly froze, snapping his head behind him the next second.

He'd forgotten she was there…

"Spearow, this is Yolanda, a friend." He introduced casually, turning slightly so Spearow could get a good look at the girl for himself.

"Hi, Spearow!" Yolanda called cheerfully, to which Spearow chirped back a greeting and turned his eye back on Ash. It was a little dismissive on Spearow's part, which made it an even more amusing thought to know the flying type was the friendliest of all his pokemon.

He smiled at his avian before blowing air into the hole on the whistle, smiling widely when Spearow twitched in the direction the sound Ash couldn't hear was coming from.

"Oh, a canine whistle."

Ash ran a few fingers along Spearow's discolored feathers in approval as he answered Yolanda. "Mhm, we've been working on enhancing his hearing. Once we establish good footing with that we're moving on to smell."

"Oh," Yolanda said in recognition. With his back faced to her he couldn't see where she was looking until Spearow tilted his head uncomfortably.

Ash frowned, then quickly masked it. "Spearow, go out fifty yards. Let's test your distance."

The bird chirped in consensus and opened its wings to their full wingspan. Ash watched with a huge smile as the bird took off and soared away. Beautiful maroon wings flapped proudly, a sight a month ago Ash swore he'd never get to see. So, seeing that now made it that much more difficult to look away and face Yolanda.

"Don't stare again," Ash hissed, pointing a finger at one of his eyes.

Yolanda bit her bottom lip guiltily. "I'm sorry, it's kind of hard not to. What happened?"

"None of your business," Ash snapped, and turned to see that Spearow had landed. He raised a hand into the air and Spearow raised a wing in response. Ash blew into the whistle and was delighted when Spearow squawked to let him know he could hear it.

"Great! Okay, let's try a hundred yards now!" He yelled across the field, watching his bird pokemon prepare to take flight.

ooo

120 yards was the cut off, but it was impressive because in the beginning stages Spearow couldn't hear the whistle at all. Ash was even more impressed when he thought about Bulbasaur and Yolanda's pokemon who could barely hear the whistle to begin with.

Overall, Ash was more than pleased with Spearow's progress.

"Here you are, Mr. Ketchum."

Ash smiled politely at Nurse Joy as he took the pokeballs from her. Yolanda had left, bored with his continuous attempts at blowing a whistle she couldn't hear, but he suspected the way he snapped at her played a part in her departure as well.

The next time he saw her he needed to apologize.

"How are they?" He asked, vaguely listening to the obnoxious kid behind him complain about losing to the Pewter gym for the second time.

She answered with her trademark smile. "They're in excellent condition! You've taken good care of them so there's nothing to worry about."

Heat creeped up Ash's neck from the praise. "…and Spearow?"

"Well, it's my professional opinion that he is ready to be released. I must admit I was skeptical this day would come, but I'm really happy for you that it did!"

Ash could barely keep his large smile under bay, his hand tightening around the pokeball protectively.

Finally.

Finally, Spearow would stay with him.

At the change of tone from Nurse Joy he glanced back to her strangely somber face.

"I'm going to miss Spearow. He wasn't the friendliest of pokemon to come by here, but his fighting spirit isn't something I'll forget. So, come back and visit if you have time, okay Ash? I'd like to see how things play out for him."

Ash nodded, understanding Nurse Joy's attachment. Spearow had been a patient for weeks and Nurse Joy personally oversaw many of his surgeries and treatment plans. It was a no brainer that she would have gotten emotionally invested.

Ash just felt a little sorry for her, wondering how many pokemon had come into her life for her to just never see or hear from again.

"We'll come back, promise." Ash vowed, stepping aside and getting to work on shuffling through the thick stack of paperwork Nurse Joy handed his way. It took about fifteen minutes of reading through and signing his name everywhere before he finished.

"Ash!" A gruff, deep voice called from across the pokemon center. Ash turned to see Brock's six-foot frame easily stride to the desk in seconds. Ash offered a greeting just as Brock's eyes caught sight of Nurse Joy.

"Nurse Joy," Brock called carefully with a dip of his head. He seemed to be trying to meet the Nurse's gaze, but she wouldn't look away from her computer, much less acknowledge him.

Ash watched the interaction curiously. Just seconds ago, Nurse Joy had been friendly with him so was she not on good terms with Brock?

Brock frowned at her lack of reply and leaned forward to whisper something he couldn't hear. Whatever was said though, made a spark of heat creep over Nurse Joy's pretty features.

The nurse leaned forward and hissed something at Brock, each of their words escalating to where Ash could catch a few.

"Unprofessional…"

"We don't work together."

"…Jenny."

At the name Brock paused before his words deescalated back to a whisper, something akin to sincerity on his dark features as he began what to Ash looked like a slew of apologizes.

"Just go." Nurse Joy bit out with a false smile as she looked away to address the kid in line behind Brock. With a slump of his shoulders, Brock did as she wished and backed off. The gym leader turned to face Ash with a sheepish look before his face slipped back to the stoic expression Ash was used to seeing.

Brock made a motioning movement to follow so Ash did just that, debating over Brock's expression on whether to ask. He did once they left the pokemon center.

"What was that all about?"

Brock paused and fell a few steps back to match Ash's pace. The young gym leader's large palm slapped his back painfully, steering Ash to their left, and guiding him through the sidewalk.

"That Ash, was about women being difficult." Brock said, lips tilted in a pained twist of a smile and brown eyes full of amusement.

Ash frowned at the answer but accepted it. He didn't inquire further and followed Brock down the street before they came upon a construction site. Ash saw bare chested workers with glistening skin from the full force of the sun. The building was half finished but Ash didn't have a clue to what he was looking at.

Pewter was expanding.

That was the thought that came to Ash as he stepped away from Brock's hand to take in the pokemon and people at work. He'd been suspicious of it for a while, with the strike contrast between old and new buildings, but now looking at the construction site he was confident of his assessment.

Pewter was a developing city, one on the verge of turmoil battling between tradition and the advancement of the world around them. Brock didn't want to stay complacent and as a young figure of the city it took time, but he'd finally gained some ground.

Old and new.

Something had to give and after a three year long battle it seemed Brock was making headway. Pewter would move forward, but whether it was the right decision, only time would tell.

"It's going to be a breeding center." Brock indulged from his side, as if he'd been reading his mind. Ash turned his eyes away from the Machoke carrying large beams to catch a glimpse of fondness in Brock's eyes.

" _Right now, this city is a diamond disguised as a rock to the rest of the world. Give me time and I'll polish it with my hands and mine alone. Make no mistake Ash, I will save Pewter."_

Ash smiled up at Brock and followed him in quiet obedience to a building. It was a gym, not the Pewter pokemon gym, but one where people trained.

"Onix used an attack this morning. That either means he's done underestimating you, or he's getting desperate. Either way, you must be ready for what comes next, especially since he's aware of Lunatone's interference."

Ash nodded determinably at that and followed Brock into a locker room to change into lighter clothes and put on boxing gloves and a head and mouth guard.

Brock was right, he needed to be stronger, and if that meant learning to be lighter on his feet by boxing, then so be it.

Ash felt out of place in the boxing ring across from Brock, but at least there wasn't an audience for what was sure to be a disaster. He tried to awkwardly mirror Brock's stance by raising his arms up and spreading his legs, but the movement felt funny to him.

"Higher, protect your face." Brock advised, bouncing over as light on his feet as a sleek persian. Despite his heavier build, Brock was very swift and comfortable on his feet.

Ash nodded, and the gym leader was suddenly in his guard with a right hook, which Ash dodged with ease. He tried to throw his own punch to which Brock caught with nonchalance.

"Focus on dodging for now."

Ash licked his lips and did just that, back tracking quickly to avoid a swift kick aimed at his abdomen. His footwork was clumsy at best as he almost fumbled over himself. Brock was fast, and the power Ash suspected was behind his blows was making him nervous.

He ducked a fist aimed at his face next, then swiveled away from a hand that looked to sucker punch him in the gut. When his head bobbed back up, he was in the groove, his bare feet thumping the floor in preparation to dodge what came next.

His reaction came automatic, shifting to the left slightly to avoid an overextended punch. Ash noticed Brock's face was unguarded and by pure reflex his own right fist lashed out to pop Brock right in the nose.

The gym leader stepped back, stunned and when his blue gloves stopped blocking his face there was blood spraying from Brock's nose. Ash gasped, falling still and quick to try and apologize.

"Brock! Oh my gosh I-"

A primal smile spread over Brock's face as he smeared the blood away with his arm.

"Hands up, Ash." Brock's taunting voice chided as his head shook in a manner that promised the ten-year-old would regret his actions.

Ash's stomach dropped as things heated up fast. Brock upped the pace, ignoring his attempts to apologize. Ash hastily threw both his hands up to protect his face, leaving his stomach wide open for a brutal kick that left him breathless.

He doubled over in pain, and to his credit was able to drop and roll to avoid any follow up Brock may have dished out. When he rose to his feet next he was hit with an onslaught of attacks aimed at his face and most vulnerable areas.

He partially dodged the next punch leading to it grazing his ear. Ash stumbled back, wincing as a ringing sound took over his senses. Next thing he knew there was a blue gloved fist suddenly coming at his face. There wasn't any time to dodge so Ash just closed his eyes and hoped for the best. What came was excruciating pain as his world suddenly went dark

ooo

He awoke to the sound of giggling. He groaned in protest to his eyes opening as childish laughter and seemingly blurry identical faces took over his senses. Ash groaned again, feeling his world spin as he sat up.

He blinked slowly, taking in the little girl in his personal space. Where was he? And what happened? He rubbed his head idly as a large grin spread over the girl's face.

"Hi!" She chirped with dazzling brown eyes. A boy, with her same stature and near identical face hopped on the sleeping matt beside her, peering at him with wide eyes.

"Hi," Ash said slowly, counting the faces he saw. There were six children, three boys and three girls of different ages but uncanny resemblance to each other. Feeling like a specimen in an exhibit he tried to recall what happened.

Oh…he remembered now. Brock must have knocked him out and this was probably his house, and his siblings. "What time is it?" He asked to no one in particular as he rolled off the bed.

"Oomph!" Was the sound that spewed out of his mouth when someone jumped on his back. The brown-haired boy with an iron grip around his neck poked his cheek just as an older girl with two braids alerted him that it was seven in the morning.

Wow, Brock had really knocked the day lights out of him for him to be asleep so long.

"I'm Timmy!" The boy with several bandages on his face announced with a cheeky smile which Ash was quick to return with his own.

"I'm Ash," he said, subconsciously reaching for his belt only to find it wasn't there. He tried to contain the panic filling his gut as his eyes found the oldest looking kid in the room. A boy who looked a couple years younger than him.

"You, where's Brock?"

The boy diverted his gaze bashfully before pointing a finger out the door. The mini Brock left without a word and before Ash could call after him the little girl who had said hi to him grabbed his hand, yanking on it. Another girl with pigtails grabbed his remaining free hand causing Ash to blink down curiously at the children.

"Come on," one squeaked, urging him along as he hastily gathered that his socks and shoes were missing, and he was wearing clothes that didn't belong to him. He decided to just go along with it, adjusting the giggling boy on his back slightly as his feet lightly padded against the tatami mat flooring.

Brock's home was a traditional style, with sliding doors and wooden verandas. The girl who introduced herself as Suzie led him to a room a little down the hall, putting a finger to her lips in a shush manner. She eased the sliding door open to reveal Brock passed out on a sleeping matt. Ash took in the room quietly, noticing first how depressingly _empty_ it was. There was a few books and a small pile of dirty clothes but there was literally nothing else.

"Big brother Brock isn't home very much." Suzie said by his side, and he noticed the quiet intelligence he'd seen in Brock's and Yolanda's eyes in her own. She was incredibly perceptive for her age and Ash was almost done taking in the sight before his eyes fell on a single framed picture he missed.

"Big brother just got home. Let him sleep," Cindy advised with a frown on her face, clearly against the thought of Ash disturbing him. Ash nodded idly at her protective stance, eyes still on the picture frame where Brock was smiling, surrounded by nine happy younger versions of himself.

As the door slid close his last sight was the rise and fall of Brock's chest as a few soft snores escaped the room.

They lightly backed away and the girls led him to the kitchen, where everyone else seemed to be. Cindy and Suzie released his hands immediately, and the boy on his back slid down excitedly to crowd around the table. Not knowing what else to do, Ash joined them for his first meal in what seemed like forever.

Breakfast at Brock's was chaotic to say the least.

It was a swirl of bickering, laughter, munching, and exchanging of food as cartoons played in the background. Ash felt like an enemy in hostile territory as he avoided taking sides in arguments (a serious no no) and flung breakfast items that started mini food wars. It was nothing like the peaceful mornings he spent with his mother as they ate their delicious homemade pancakes.

"Can you pass the milk…Billy?" Ash tried uncertainly, looking at the boy diagonal from him. He realized his mishap when the boy at the other end of the table offered a toothless smile and wave at his name. No, that wasn't right. It was…Tommy…no, Timmy?

He gave up, reaching across the table to get the milk himself. Wet cereal smacked his face and slid off, a gasp making it clear he just got caught in the line of fire. Ash smiled as he poured milk into his bowl and the children giggled at his expense.

It was different from what he was used to, but nice in its own way. It was kind of like an extremely crazy version of the days he spent eating breakfast at the Oaks while his mom picked up an early shift. And like the Oak's he'd been accepted with open arms.

That was about the time Yolanda walked into the room and he felt her gaze zoom in on him. Her eyebrow raised amusedly as she threw his belt through the air. It landed perfectly in his lap and he ran his fingers along one, two, and finally three pokeballs. He was at ease at last, so he offered her a, "Morning Yolanda!" as he slurped up some more cereal.

She sat by his side, filling him in to how Brock brought him home last night and how his shirt had been drenched with blood. It explained his change of clothes, so Ash inspected his nose and lip, and while the latter was a little puffy he was glad his wounds were mostly superficial.

When he was finished breakfast, he followed her outside to the balcony. Salvador was already sitting cross legged on the veranda, so they joined him. As they approached, Ash took notice of the light breeze that moved Salvador's light brown spiky hair.

"Hey Salvador!" Yolanda called cheerily, and Salvador turned a bored gaze his way and dipped his head appropriately to Ash's presence. Ash took in the "genius" of an older brother Yolanda complained about with a measuring glance. It wasn't his first meeting with Yolanda's twin, but the encounters were usually brief because Salvador always left early to go to the gym or to train, which he preferred to do alone.

"Hey," he said, sitting beside Yolanda who engaged her brother in a story about her time in the Viridian Forest. Salvador had a pained expression on his face as he set his book down to listen to his sister's overly enthusiastic words.

"Bet you didn't do anything to top that while I was gone." Yolanda challenged with a trying look in her hazel eye.

"I defeated someone with nine gym badges yesterday," Salvador replied carefully, an air of arrogance around him.

Yolanda sucked in a harsh breath, raising a finger to deny his claim before a meowth jumped onto the veranda and sauntered up to Salvador. It rubbed against the boy's backside affectionately before dropping an item into his lap.

Salvador picked the shiny item up to examine as the meowth awaited his approval with an impatient purr.

Ash eyed the meowth with interest, comparing it to the Meowth in his memories. It was much too big and its eyes too dark but it didn't stop his insides from hurting. It clearly wasn't Meowth, but now he was overcome with longing.

"Tristan!" Yolanda called in surprise. The cat fell on its back, purring at her shamelessly to get its belly rubbed.

"What did he give you?" Ash asked Salvadore who revealed the shimmering necklace with a sigh. Salvadore stuffed it back in his pocket and stood, clicking his tongue to alert Meowth he was leaving.

"I'm guessing this is a frequent thing?" Ash said, watching the feline follow Salvador obediently, scratching at his legs for attention that wasn't returned. Salvador turned to answer him with a frown.

"Yeah. It's common knowledge that meowth like to collect shiny items but some take it a step further, offering items to someone to show appreciation or affection. Tristan is one such example." He answered with a pained expression, leaving a second later with the excuse that he needed to try and find the owner of the necklace.

Yolanda watched him go with an envious look in her eye. Then she sighed suddenly and laid back to watch the clouds. "Mew, he always finds a way to one up me."

"Who's stronger between you two?" Ash asked, looking in the direction Salvador had gone with a predatory smirk. Yolanda ignored his question in favor of puffing her cheeks out in a sulking manner that told him the answer.

"Ash, tell me the story how you beat Onix again."

Ash's face scrunched up with distaste. Telling the story to her got old the second time around.

"I've told you that story three times already."

"Okay, then how did you feel when it was happening?"

Ash paused to recall his feelings when he took down the behemoth that was Onix. "It was exhilarating," he answered softly. "I've never felt more terrified and excited in my life."

She nodded at that and placed her arms comfortably under her head as a pillow. "When Rhydon challenged that swarm of beedrill I was scared, but I felt _alive_. Never in my time in Pewter have I felt like that."

Ash shifted, uncomfortable. He understood where the conversation was leading to. This was how Yolanda's voice got before she went on to complain about Forrest and how her "dumb older brother" had ruined her chances for an earlier journey by leaving on his own without Brock's blessing. Till this day, two years after Forrest had left, her two oldest brothers were on shaky terms.

"I don't understand Salvador," She confessed quietly. "We're twins, so you would think I would, but I don't. Everyone at the gym refers to him as some battling prodigy and I agree, but he could do _more_. Salvador has the talent to do anything, yet he chooses to stay here in Pewter, content on moving up the gym ranks."

Ash frowned at her words, not sure what she wanted him to say. He thought about what Brock said, that Pewter was disguised as a rock to the rest of the world and how in a way, that also might apply to Yolanda.

Yolanda caught his questioning expression and sighed. "You think I'm looking down on Pewter."

"No," he hastily tried to deny, but she was right. He searched for words to try and switch things around.

"I grew up in a small town, so I get where you're coming from, I do. Though, I also get people like Salvador. He seemed happy earlier when he mentioned that trainer he beat, you know the one with the nine badges? Have you ever thought that for him Pewter is everything? That he likes it here?"

Yolanda sighed again, falling back on the wooden veranda, dust bunnies flying up at her dramatic collapse. "You're right," she admitted quietly, before a second later she said something else, her voice quieter, more hesitant.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to start my journey."

"I know."

"I _need_ to leave Pewter."

"I know," he repeated, not knowing what else to say. He wanted to offer her some comforting words or advice, but her situation was a tricky one. Brock wouldn't let her leave until she had a sponsor, and no sponsor in their right mind would face Brock's wrath by sponsoring his twelve-year-old sister. She had to wait a year, until thirteen, the usual age sponsors had a free for all by going after promising yet protected young talent.

"Ugh! I'm in a bad mood now," She admitted with a frown.

She sat up suddenly, her curly hair swishing on her shoulders and eyes impatient. "Ash, battle me."

Ash carefully sat up and upon seeing she was serious responded with a challenging smirk.

"Okay, you're on."

ooo

Ash couldn't use Onix for the battle for obvious reasons, so that left him Spearow and Bulbasaur. Yolanda on the other hand had three choices she could use for the two on two. Ash took a deep breath at the knowledge of the advantage she already held and took in the training field behind the pokemon center.

The parameter's lines were a little faded, but the field was large and standard, so it was a good spot for a battle. Ash bounced the pokeball in his hand around nervously, curious to why he was so on edge.

It wouldn't be his first battle with Yolanda.

Bulbasaur and Chiro had battled several times, and they always ended with Bulbasaur's victory and Yolanda in a foul mood. Despite Chiro's impenetrable body which stole any hope of Bulbasaur dealing damage with a physical attack, Bulbasaur was still noticeably stronger.

The battles were long and drawn out. Bulbasaur's speed and patience won them because Chiro had no long ranged attacks, so that left the dual type with only physical ones at his disposal. But, due to Bulbasaur's speed those attacks never hit home, though if they ever did, it would only take a couple to take the grass type out.

Ash relied on sleep and poison powder to weaken Chiro, then followed up with razor leaves and toxic to finish, and if he was feeling especially bold, he'd attempt take down. He knew if he continued to attempt the strategy on Yolanda it'd fail, but until she taught Chiro a new attack or formed a new strategy, it'd work.

His eyes settled on the unblemished ball in his hand and he found the culprit to his discomfort.

This would be Spearow's first battle.

He prepped his flying type thoroughly and got the green light from Nurse Joy but he was still terribly nervous. Rock and flying types weren't a good matchup, but a flying type with Spearow's circumstances? Well, he would just have to return him if things got too bad.

Yolanda released Bonsly first, who jumped with excitement at the sight of him, and then settled comfortably between her legs. By his own feet, Bulbasaur lay with a concentrated gaze, clearly prepping himself.

Ash smiled. Bulbasaur was lazy, but his competitive nature made him always take battles seriously.

Chiro appeared in a jumping frenzy, barking his greeting to Yolanda, Bonsly and himself. Ash took a deep breath, and despite knowing he could get an easy win with Bulbasaur, recognized Lairon as the only chance Spearow had for victory. He took a few seconds more to mentally chant Spearow's moves to himself and then released the flying type.

Spearow appeared in the sky, as proud and fierce as the first time Ash ever saw him. The flying type shrieked down at his opponent in a challenging manner to which Chiro responded with a happy bark.

It was time to test his chemistry with Spearow.

When Spearow didn't make eye contact with him and chose to continue his stare down with its opponent, Ash blew the canine whistle in hopes of settling his pokemon's nerves. Spearow's flying faltered from the sudden noise and turned to stare at him in an agitated manner.

Ash responded with a smile and thumbs up, and Spearow's glare softened. Ash released another breath, indicating to Yolanda he was ready as he prayed Spearow's handicap wouldn't hinder him too much.

"You can have the first move, Ash!" Yolanda called from across the field, to which Ash smirked at. He knew Lairon's move set, and the pokemon had no long ranged attacks it could use against Spearow, so it wasn't like Yolanda was doing him a favor. She needed him to go first.

"Quick attack!" Ash called suddenly, to which Spearow responded with beautiful precision and speed. The flying's type maroon feathers bristled at the command and with glowing energy, Spearow disappeared from Ash's sight.

The next second Spearow reappeared, crashing into Chiro's left flank and sending the rock type rolling along the ground roughly.

"Yes!" He screamed excitedly and Spearow puffed his chest out proudly, soaring through the sky with a confident cry. His eyes flew across the battlefield to Yolanda for a reaction and her frown was evident as Lairon got his bearings together by coughing up a cloud of dirt.

Should he do another quick attack?

No. Yolanda would be ready for it, he couldn't underestimate her.

Peck wouldn't pierce Lairon's armor either. Ash grit his teeth in debate, it was clearly a bad matchup for both parties.

"Use quick attack for speed and when you get close fury attack, Spearow!"

More confident, Spearow responded with a cheerful chirp, slipping into quick attack with more ease. As Spearow descended he opened his feathers to its full wingspan and was upon Lairon without mercy.

Lairon backed away hastily from the smothering feathers banging down on him, panting nervously, and ducking his head to protect his eyes.

"Chiro, iron head!"

Ash's heart raced, panic in his veins, "Mirror move!"

He prayed when their two heads collided that the move was successful, otherwise Lairon's headbutt had the power to take Spearow out in one move.

When Chiro whined in pain, reeling back from Spearow, he sighed with relief.

Spearow burst away from the altercation with another squawk and Ash could see frustration in Chiro's blue eyes, amusement long gone. Ash was excited though, because Spearow and him had beautiful chemistry for their first battle together.

They could win this.

Ash's smile disappeared when Yolanda ordered her next command.

"Sandstorm!" Her smirk was cocky, and Ash wanted to curse at his misfortune. When did she teach Lairon the new move? Either way, it was a devastating attack to use against Spearow, whose wings wouldn't be strong enough to press through the storm and then there was his handicap…

Ash bit his lip in frustration, the move was so perfect it hurt.

"Aerial ace!" Ash called, knowing it wouldn't be enough to end the match. From the battles with Bulbasaur he knew how much punishment Lairon could handle, and they had barely dished out a quarter of what it would take.

Spearow bristled from the nervous energy coming from his trainer and followed through with the command. The avian disappeared, to which Yolanda yelled out a victorious, "Protect!"

Ash's eyes widened in horror as he gasped out a pleading, "Dodge!". He hadn't noticed the two-layered trap for what it was, too eager to get in another attack. His hands fisted angrily for falling right into her hands because despite his command, he knew his avian had no chance of dodging.

Spearow reappeared in front of Lairon, his single black eye full of panic as he crashed into the glowing green shield of energy with a muffled cry.

Bang!

Ash grit his teeth with regret when one of Spearow's wings twisted to a weird angle, the momentum of aerial ace causing it to challenge protect till the psychic energy gave way.

Crack!

Protect broke, and Spearow came barreling into a surprised Lairon, plunging them both into the ground. A pained squawk and pitiful whimper flitted through the air as the two pokemon's limbs became entangled with each other.

"Get up!" Ash commanded, urging Spearow to follow through his order with his frantic, flailing arms. His avian obeyed, slowly untangling himself from Lairon to find that one of its feet had been injured.

Spearow hopped on one foot with a pained expression as it tested out the other while Lairon shook himself off and casted a hazy eye on the flying type.

"Rock tomb! Then sandstorm!"

"Get in the air, NOW!" Ash screamed, frustrated at Spearow's lack of urgency. Spearow's wings fluttered awkwardly in response and Ash was overcome with guilt for his demanding tone. But, it was only because he understood just how dangerous Lairon could be up close.

Lairon's rock tomb emerged, but to everyone's surprise he missed by several feet. Spearow shrieked, and forced it's wings out with a pained expression, and Ash looked to Lairon who was still shaking its head, its accuracy clearly affected from the collision.

Seconds later, the second wave of rock tomb came, jagged rocks surfacing from the earth with more precision and speed than before. But, Spearow had taken flight, his injured wing fluttering, causing him to suddenly fall before he caught himself from falling onto the sharp rocks.

Ash watched his flying type struggle with flight for a few seconds.

"Can you continue?" He called out uncertainly to his avian.

Spearow let out a defiant cry, and he frowned as Lairon's sand storm started kicking up. This was it, crunch time. Ash calmed his beating heart and pulled out his ace in the hole. Soon, everything would be decided, so he discretely brought the canine whistle up to his mouth, so Yolanda wouldn't notice.

As he did, he recalled his conversation with Spearow as he prepped the flying type.

" _Yolanda is strong, so I don't want to underestimate her. Though, we have an advantage over her that she's forgotten." Ash smiled as he showed the canine whistle, that Yolanda and he wouldn't be able to hear._

 _Spearow tilted his head in a cute, confused manner to which Ash replied with a fond smile._

" _If I blow the whistle once, that means to trust me and pay attention. Twice, means to ignore any orders, okay? Remember, twice."_

 _Spearow nodded in acknowledgement but Ash could see that he was still confused about the order._

" _Sorry I may be overestimating her, but I really want your first battle to be a win. So, I'm just trying to think up a way out of any scenario, ya know?"_

Ash blew hard into the whistle, twice.

Sand stirred and picked up until the grains ferociously took to the air to swirl. Through slant eyes, he frantically searched through the sand for Spearow, but confirmation came to his ears. Through the gust a proud shriek of acknowledgement came to his utter relief.

Immediately, his hands formed around his mouth in a cupping manner to guide his voice. "Spearow, land! You can't fly in this!" He called into the forming storm, praying it wasn't too uncontrollable to the point that his voice wouldn't reach.

He brought a sleeve to his eyes and tried to look for an indicator that Yolanda had heard him and would fall for the bait.

She did. She couldn't see Spearow, so she had assumed the flying type landed to wait out the storm, exactly what she wanted.

"Chiro, rock tomb!"

The ground screamed in response and Ash hastily blew into his whistle so Spearow knew he was serious. The next second, he called out, "Mirror move!"

"Chiro, crap, dodge!"

Ash couldn't see through the storm, but he knew the rocks being formed to strike the avian had been turned back on the one who had unleashed them. Ash's hands fisted at his side in excitement because a clipped yelp resounded through the air to let him know Chiro's desperate attempt to dodge the jagged rocks had been unsuccessful.

"Endure the storm, Spearow!"

Ash was certain Spearow could do it, he was strong.

Minutes tickled by, and Ash realized he was in control of the match. Yolanda had no long rage attacks she could use against him and while Spearow must be taking damage from the storm and finding it difficult to fly with sand weighing his wings down, he would prevail. She wouldn't risk Lairon's condition at the chance that Spearow would tire out faster.

Just as he calculated, the storm began to slow down, the harsh gusts of wind shrinking in size and pressure until when the next minute came to pass the grains of sand in the sky had all fallen to the ground.

Ash accessed Spearow first, who huffed irritably to shake sand from his feathers and then to Lairon. Despite the protect that had left Spearow flying awkwardly and injured, Ash knew Lairon was worse off. The rock type's tongue was rolled out in a heavy pant and from experience Ash knew Lairon was on his last leg.

"Chiro! On guard!" Yolanda commanded to which Chiro responded with a halfhearted bark. Ash smirked, and he felt a bit guilty for the order he was going to give, but he wanted to end the battle as cleanly as possible.

"Agility, Spearow! Circle him for openings."

Lairon was panicked the next few minutes as Spearow lazily circled around him, zooming in and out of sight with agility's speed. As the avian inched closer and closer the dual type frantically stayed on edge. When Ash knew Chiro wouldn't be able to counterattack quick enough, he called for the finishing blow.

"Aerial ace!"

The avian disappeared, the next second reappearing on Lairon in a wild, downward spiral. The attack met head on, and Ash smirked when Lairon instantly collapsed and Spearow went on a victory lap, bold squawks and cries vibrating through the air around them.

As he congratulated his pokemon with a large smile, Yolanda grit her teeth and returned Lairon with a frown.

Ash winced when Spearow's claw landed on his shoulder, but he endured the pain to praise the avian on a battle well fought. The avian balanced on one claw, and Ash reminded himself to check out the other leg once the next battle was over.

"Not bad for your first fight, eh?" Ash teased, electing a happy hum when Ash scratched a spot under his chin. Honestly, he couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

Ash was shaken from his happy stupor when Bulbasaur rose with an indignant sigh.

"Saur." Ash paused, taking in his starter with a contemplative gaze. Bulbasaur was quiet throughout Spearow's battle, a sign that he was prepping himself thoroughly for his own. His crimson eyes were cautious, concentrated on the field, taking in the battlefield with a measuring gaze.

Ash sighed, because Bulbasaur's opponent would either be Rhydon or Golem, both horrible matchups and fearsome opponents.

Yolanda took a breath and released her choice. Her cocky Rhydon appeared on the battlefield, huffing irritably and letting out loud roars as it waited for Bulbasaur to walk onto the field.

"That's right," Ash murmured to Spearow, whose single eye was glossed over with curiosity. "This will be your first time watching Bulbasaur battle. You'll probably be surprised because he's strong and you've only seen his lazy side."

Ash chuckled at the thought of his sluggish saurian trying to weasel his way out of anything that wasn't a battle. Even with training Ash had to often drag the saurian away from sunbathing or disturb his sleep to get him started.

Ash reached into his book-bag for a potion, multitasking as he examined Rhydon. It was large and powerful, decked out with dozens of scars over its grey armor. He rolled his eyes at Spearow's protesting cry, but the bird drank the potion as Ash took in the specimen Bulbasaur had played a large role in helping Yolanda take down.

Two weeks ago, Rhydon was a member of a small herd on Pewter's outskirts. Yolanda scouted the herd for weeks and once she became friends with Ash, he helped her form a plan to get a chance to battle a member.

They took stake out at a creak the herd visited often, and Bulbasaur had lay waiting in the water. The grass type polluted the water with sleep spores and before fifteen minutes passed, the entire herd except Rhydon was out cold.

Fate had chosen the cocky male to be Yolanda's target. Rhydon was ill-tempered, territorial, and eager to display its power. All which made him an easy target to fall to Golem's baiting.

Yolanda had successfully leered Rhydon away from its herd with a few taunting attacks and battled it to it collapsed.

It wasn't the most brilliant plan, but it worked because Yolanda didn't have her eyes set on a specific member. Ash had found Rhydon's cockiness and lack of concern for leaving its herd vulnerable to potential threats off putting, but Yolanda just waved if off as room to grow.

Ash took a deep breath, giving Spearow another scratch so the avian's satisfied hum would help calm his nerves. Yolanda announced her move a moment later.

"Rock blast!"

Rhydon roared and buried his feet into the ground, calling forth large stones with tremendous power. As the large stones gathered height, some began to break apart, but Rhydon snarled and launched them forward with a hefty snarl.

Bulbasaur tensed, momentarily startled at the power and speed in the attack. His starter moved, a blur on land, zipping in and out of sight to avoid the dozens of stones three times his height.

Bulbasaur's speed and impressive reflexes weren't lost on Spearow, who cried out in surprise on his shoulders.

"I know." Ash nodded in understanding, every now and again he forgot just how fast Bulbasaur was, so for Spearow who had no clue, it was defiantly a shocker.

"Razor leaf!" He yelled out his counterattack, and from Bulbasaur's bulb hundreds of sharp leaves trickled out in response. They launched into the air and zeroed in on Rhydon who roared and ignored Yolanda's command to dodge.

The beast raised its arms in a protective manner and received the onslaught of the attack. The leaves ripped past him one after the other, and the persistence won out, cutting his tough armor to the point Ash could see blood.

Rhydon roared in triumph from having endured the attack, eyes ablaze with fury as Yolanda commanded bull doze.

The beast was off, starting off as a trot until it reached a full-on sprint ready to trample anything in its path. Ash waited, knowing Bulbasaur could dodge with ease because Rhydon only held straight line speed.

"Stone edge!" Yolanda called, and with the talent his cockiness eluded to, Rhydon roared and unleashed jagged rocks to protrude from the earth—right under Bulbasaur's stagnant form.

The grass type was air born, swirling in a frenzy and gritting his teeth from the pain and dizziness.

Ash bit his lip, "Grab a rock with your vines! Throw it at Rhydon!"

Bulbasaur did as told, hurling the biggest stone he could reach with all the strength his two vines possessed. But, Ash underestimated Rhydon's power. The beast screamed and furiously bombarded his way through the boulder that disintegrated on impact.

Ash winced and before Bulbasaur understood what was happening, Rhydon was upon him with a devastating bull doze. The grass type viciously rolled around the ground and before it could fully get its bearings together, Rhydon was there, leering at him with menacing eyes and a large glowing fist.

The hammer arm came down on Bulbasaur just as Ash desperately called out for Bulbasaur to use toxic.

Rhydon leered back with a scream, rubbing uselessly at its face to showcase the green gunk eating away at the bottom half of its profile. Ash's attention was on Bulbasaur, who had come away from the ordeal in worse shape.

The grass type's body was banged up, blood dripping from multiple cuts. Bulbasaur's left eye was half lidded and his breathing sounded miserable to Ash's ears.

Ash swallowed and ordered his next command when Bulbasaur finally stood.

"Poison powder! Keep your distance!"

His starter nodded, closing his eyes in concentration as it produced the necessary spores inside its bulb. The pink powdery mixture took to the sky and rained down on his opponent. Ash nodded and steeled himself for patience.

It became a game of tag, Bulbasaur keeping his distance and evading any attacks with ease thanks to his speed. Rhydon got riled up from his unsuccessful attacks, in his frustration taking out his anger on the battlefield, turning it into desolate uneven land.

It took ten minutes, but Bulbasaur finally made a mistake.

The grass type saw an opening, lashing out at its monster of an opponent with a few testing vine whips. The petty attacks usually wouldn't do any harm to a pokemon like Rhydon but with its skin bare and open from the razor leaves, it was incredibly painful.

Bulbasaur continued whenever he got the chance, slowly gaining some ground.

Then his intense focus on attacking caused him to trip over a stray rock. In his moment of panic to catch himself, he forgot about his vines, and Rhydon quickly caught one of the stray appendages.

Rhydon huffed with promised vengeance and proceeded to smack Bulbasaur around as he kept his vine captive. Ash called for a string of moves, but with Bulbasaur's beating the grass type couldn't concentrate to execute anything.

"Horn drill!" Yolanda called out confidently with a brazen smile as Rhydon finished breaking a rock with Bulbasaur's body. The rock type roared, and with its iron grip on Bulbasaur's vine charged into the grass type, horn first.

Ash gasped from Bulbasaur's haunting yelp, and Rhydon released Bulbasaur's vine, pulling away with an unimpressed side eye. Bulbasaur's body was still, blood gushing out in waves from a wound Ash couldn't see but knew must have come from Rhydon's horn drill.

 _Grrrrrrr!_

Rhydon's triumphant roar cackled over the battlefield in conjunction with its large fists beating down on its plated chest. Ash frowned at the celebration and fumbled for Bulbasaur's pokeball _._

He was stopped from hitting the return button when an explosion of green light blinded him. Ash opened his eyes hesitantly and noticed the fluctuating light was surrounding his starters small form.

 _What?_

The green glow became fiercer, brighter, and more haunting as Bulbasaur stood with rejuvenated eyes. Ash snapped his mouth close, taking in the green light with bewilderment.

 _Was this…?_

The bright green light spiked again, then died to a faint glow, circling around his starter almost protectively. The air stirred in response, and a telling chill went through Ash's spine as Rhydon continued roaring, oblivious to his renewed opponent.

He went to Dexter for answers, who confirmed his suspicions.

" _Overgrow, a status boosting ability that activates when a user is pushed to exhaustion."_

"Rhydon, pay attention! Your opponent isn't finished!"

Ash smiled manically, knowing all Rhydon was doing was helping to spread the toxins in its bloodstream. Status boosting moves? He could work with that. Ash smirked at Bulbasaur and prepared to order an attack when the saurian…

Bulbasaur sprinted across the field in a burst of speed, and Ash's neck snapped to follow his starter. Bulbasaur took advantage of Rhydon's distracted, near hilarious state. The saurian's legs twisted and his body angled appropriately to smash his entire body fearlessly into Rhydon's armored chest. Rhydon staggered back and toppled over from tripping over the uneven field. Bulbasaur landed close, clearly affected by the ridiculous momentum.

Both pokemon rose, out of breath, and Bulbasaur's body broke out into a sudden jolt of recoil. The spasm sent Bulbasaur to his knees as the grass type endured by gritting his teeth.

Ash didn't have time to celebrate Bulbasaur's successful takedown, screaming uselessly for his pokemon to dodge. Rhydon scurried over, raising a glowing fist that came down on Bulbasaur's momentarily comatose form. The grass type soared through the air, skidding along the uneven rocks that made up the field to a painful, sudden stop.

"Razor leaf!"

"Rock blast!"

The air swirled around them, the battle coming to an evident climax. Thousands of leaves poured out of Bulbasaur's bulb frantically, his face bunched up in determination to come out as the winner.

Dozens of boulders climbed from the ground to take to the air, sizes several times larger than Bulbasaur. Any one of them large enough to take Bulbasaur out of the fight.

It was to be a fight of wills.

Quantity vs quality.

The masses met in the center, colliding into one another in a burst of pressure and power. The first lines of offense broke on impact with one another, causing the battlefield to be full of smoke and dust.

Ash's sleeve protectively went to his eyes, as the dust made its way over. It took a few minutes, but when the dust cleared, they could see both pokemon still standing.

"Stone edge!" Yolanda called out, to which Rhydon responded to by falling to his knees in a fit of exhaustion. Her call for the move was unnecessary.

Ash focused on Bulbasaur whose crimson eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Ash grit his teeth in frustration as he watched Rhydon try and fail to rise to his feet.

He walked onto the destroyed field, Spearow silent on his shoulders. He cradled his unconscious starter in his arms comfortably, full of pride and regret.

Bulbasaur had performed beautifully, but that just made the loss that much more frustrating. Already, his head was swarming with attacks he should have substituted for or situations he should have left to Bulbasaur's judgement.

He knew the match had only been close because of Rhydon's arrogance and Bulbasaur's overgrow ability, but there was another factor. It was becoming more evident to Ash just how valuable Bulbasaur's status inflicting moves were to have. It gave his starter, a pokemon that shouldn't be going toe to toe with larger, evidently stronger opponents, a chance.

He was starting to develop Bulbasaur's battling style, yet he could foresee a problem with the strategy when Bulbasaur lost his speed.

When Ash finished whispering praise to his grass type, he met Yolanda on her side and offered her a sportsmanship-like handshake.

"Too bad we can't settle the tie, but good battle."

Her gaze switched from his outreached hand to Rhydon who was still struggling to get to his feet. She returned the rock type with a frown and Ash felt a wave of impatience wash over him.

He couldn't continue to hold Bulbasaur with one hand….

"Yeah, too bad we can't settle it," she agreed, with no base to her voice. Her grip was weak, and she made her leave with a mumbled excuse he couldn't make out.

Spearow let out a confused squawk from on top his shoulders, and Ash rolled his neck to make eye contact with the avian.

"I guess she's still in a bad mood?"

ooo

The next afternoon, Ash made his way to the Feast, heart heavy and mind swirling with unanswered questions. When he took to the tunnels, he thought about the state of Brock's home when he entered it that morning.

" _Ash!" Suzie cried out, fat tears streaming down her face as she clung to his leg. Ash tried to ask her what was wrong as he entered the house, but the only thing that would escape her lips were wails and hiccups._

 _The air was dark and heavy when he entered the kitchen. Some of the siblings ate their breakfast in silence, while the others dripped snot and tears into their bowls._

" _Where's Brock?" Ash asked Salvador hesitantly, uncomfortable for walking into such a scene. Yolanda's twin rose at the sight of him, posture tense and mouth set in a frown. He ripped some paper in his hand, and once finished with it discarded the remains._

 _Ash's eyebrows raised._

" _He had to make some calls…reach out to some contacts." Salvador answered, stepping up to Ash and shoving over a see-through bag. Inside, there was a neatly folded piece of paper with his name written on the center of it._

 _Ash hesitated in grabbing it._

" _What's that?"_

" _Yolanda left last night. She left this for you."_

" _Where did she go?" Ash asked, giving the room another rundown. When his eyes fell on Suzie's wet face, his heart dropped with suspicion._

" _She's gone. No one knows where she went, she left in the middle of the night."_

" _W-what?" Salvador pushed the bag on him and he reached into it to grab the letter. He quickly unfolded it, eyes racing through the first couple lines. Sure enough, the beginning of the letter confirmed Salvador's words._

 _Yolanda was gone._

" _They're so selfish," Salvador bit out, his usually calm features scrunched up with anger._

" _They?" Ash questioned._

" _Forrest and Yolanda…they take after Father in that regard. They've always been the type to put their own needs before anyone else's. They act like staying in Pewter is such a death wish, well then they know nothing about Brock!"_

 _Ash flinched at the preteen's rising voice, the cries of the kids around them coming out harder. Salvador sighed, and his hazel eyes narrowed on Ash._

" _They don't realize how many sacrifices Brock has made for them. They're so…unthankful it's disgusting. Brock didn't even want to be the gym leader you know? His dream used to be to become a breeder."_

 _Ash's eyes widened, a memory of Brock looking down at a half-constructed building with fond eyes surfacing. Ash swallowed, trying to find reassuring words that wouldn't agitate Salvador further._

" _Ash, battle me."_

 _Ash lurched back, overcome with_ _déjà vu and surprised how alike Salvador sounded to Yolanda the day previously. Well, they were twins after all._

" _This Saturday," Salvador continued, "At the Feast we'll have our battle."_

" _But, Saturday's are for Onix matches only…wait, you have one?!"_

 _Yolanda's twin, who on many occasions she referred to as a genius with contempt in her tone, just narrowed his eyes further._

" _Look, I would if I could, but I don't have my Onix under control y-"_

" _Well, find a way! Saturday, I'll be waiting." Salvador pushed past him, Tristan meowing at his feet for attention, clearly not reading the mood well._

" _Why? Why do you want a battle now?" Ash asked. He had no problem with a fight but Salvador was demanding it under questionable circumstances._

" _I need to see it for myself. How your battle with Yolanda was the last straw. How it pushed her to leave."_

Ash's back touched the cool surface of the tunnels walls and he slid down, eyes bearing down on the wall in front of him that noted the failures and frustrations of the many trainers to come before him.

Under the flaring lantern and in the comfort of silence, he finally read over Yolanda's letter in its entirety.

 _Ash,_

 _It's true, I left. I imagine Brock and Salvador are very angry with me, and the little ones confused and sad, but it was my time. I didn't want to leave this way, you know? Forrest left in the middle of the night too and I resolved not to do the same but…I saw no other way._

 _A year seems an eternity away and our battle was a revelation of sorts for me. It was a tie, I know, but it felt like a crippling loss._

 _Spearow, who was just discharged beat a pokemon I've been training over a year. Bulbasaur, in his first evolutionary stage fought Rhydon on equal footing…and nearly beat him. I know what you're thinking Ash, that I didn't use Golem, my strongest._ _That's true, but you didn't use your strongest either, and I'm not so blind that I don't know the result of that match._

 _I have two years of experience on you, so why are you this strong? As a trainer that's only been on his journey for less than two months what have you seen and experienced that has made you this way? I'm overcome with jealously when I think of you. For seeing the world and progressing so quickly. I came to decision after our battle_. _I have nothing left to learn in Pewter. If I stay, it will only hinder my growth._

 _So, don't worry, I'm safe. Despite what may seem like a thoughtless action, I'm prepared._

 _P.S. Happy Birthday._

 _I thought about what to get you, and I've thought about the many times you pestered me for the story on how Brock caught Cerberus, but that is unfortunately a story he hasn't even told me. You'll have to settle with this, but I'm confident you'll like it._

 _Good luck on your journey, Ash, and I hope you'll wish me luck on mine._

Ash blinked, turning to his Xtransceiver to see that it was in fact his birthday. He didn't recall ever mentioning it to Yolanda, and as he reread her letter he felt regretful, like he hadn't been as good a friend to her, as she'd been to him.

He forced some reassuring thoughts into his mind. When he recalled his time with Yolanda he knew her to be intelligent, patient, and resourceful. She had a bit of a wild side to her, but unlike Ash and the stories she told him about her older brother Forrest, she knew how to keep that side from getting her into trouble.

Yolanda would be fine, but then again that wasn't what Salvador had been concerned about.

Selfish, huh? Ash dwelled on Salvador's words as his eyes fell to the words on the wall across from him under "Frustrations" that matched the handwriting in his letter to a tee.

" _I'm drowning here. Drowning, and the only way to breathe is to leave."_

Ash sighed and ran a hand through his tangled locks. The Harrison family was a complicated one, and while he'd been allowed a window to look in, he had to remind himself he was still an outsider.

He stood, taking out the small storage compartment inside the bag. When his eyes lay on the birthday gift Yolanda left him, he was suddenly overcome with an idea on how he would get Onix to listen.

His fingers lightly ran along the smooth surface of the metal coat, silently thanking Yolanda for her intrusive nature.

Onix wanted power—so he would offer the beast just that.

 **Ooo**

First off, thanks for all your support. I wish I had time to answer all your reviews but I don't so I'm just going to go through all and address the questions I saw. Also, special shout out to **BADASSUMBREON** for being my beta. If you noticed the quality difference between this chapter and others, its all thanks to him.

(Crazily Insane One) : I just hope Ash can build the same bonds with it that he builds with his canon Pokémon. Even if it takes a while. Btw. This reminds me what are you gonna do about his canon Pokémon? Are there gonna be any suffering Charmanders (Here's to hoping yes) and Wild Pikachu? I am already sure Ash isn't getting any Legendarys atleast not till Alto Mare.

 **-First, thanks for the extremely long review, it made my day. Unfortunately, Ash will not be getting any legendary pokemon. Sorry . I can also confirm that pikachu will not be making an appearance on Ash's team, but canon pikachu will be making an appearance on someone else's team…Anyway, eventually Ash will be getting in some bonding with his monstrous Onix, stay tuned for the next chapter. Lastly, stay tuned for answers about charmander. Also, I'm happy to know I've made it to your top 5!**

Nathan Brown: I feel like my writing style is archaic and boring, so if you have any advice, that would be great.

 **Hey! I wouldn't consider myself skilled enough to be giving out advice but what I would say to you is deciding to write a story is a lot of commitment so be prepared to spend A LOT of time typing away and re-reading and editing and focusing on plots, character development and what you want your story to convey.**

Star1x: Interesting so far. Been thinking of doing a rewrite of the series myself but with a Charmander as starter so seeing this is awesome. Curious if youve got any major major changes planned out.

 **Do it! If you want to write a story I say go for it and don't let anything hold you back! In fact, let me know if you do so I can tune in! Also, yes, there's lots of major changes in store…**

J.F.C: I also like the incorporation of diverse personalities for different Pokemon. I do admit I'm a bit hesitant in regards to having free pass with over 6 pokeballs, when you could have kept it canon by just constantly traiding them back and forth like Ash did in Black and White...but your story your calls.

 **Originally, I wanted to stay true to the themes of sticking to 6 pokeballs but for my reasons I've very subtlety hinted in the story, I didn't. Thanks for supporting, and the Chinese novel sounds like something I would be interested in so I'll look into that further.**

Mykea: I really want to know what happens to Meowth and Zoura and if Ash ever meets with them again, i have a feeling that he does - but it's going to be angst-filled. I hope at one point that there's going to be heart-warming scenes, because i do suffer from depression, and this fic isn't really helping with that... Just to let you know.

 **Hey, thanks for the review, and I'm sorry this story is making you feel all sorts of feels. But, I am glad that you are enjoying it! Also, he will be meeting Meowth and Zorua again…soon, so stay tuned for that.**

 **That's it for the questions… so once more thanks for supporting this story guys!**


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